Blind Dates and Secret Crushes
by Kiya Sama
Summary: Sasuke has finally admitted to himself that he is into guys! And now that Naruto has got a first hand 'experience' about it, he has made it his mission to find out just who Sasuke has a crush on.
1. Naruto gets a Lesson

**Author:** Kiya Sama

**Rating:** PG-13 (for now)

**Pairings:** Sasu/Naru (for now)

**Warnings:** Shounen-ai (boys divulging in other illegal things with boys), language

**Disclaimers:** All main characters are property of Kishimoto-san. I make no money off them.

**Author's Notes:** It's about time Sasuke became everyone's b**** , so to speak. I hope this will turn out to be funny and have absolutely no angst in it whatsoever! ;;

**PS:** Their ages here – 17 years old and proud of it. 

**Feedback:** Makes the muse grow stronger. ^^

Thanks for being a patient audience (and I will continue that other story). Enjoy! ^_^

**Blind Dates and Secret Crushes:**

**Part 1:**

Sasuke gave a final look over of his weapon inventory with a light frown of concentration on his handsome features. He had enough _shuriken_ and _kunai_ in his possession and he wouldn't really need anymore. Besides, this was just going to be a routine patrol around the village…except for the fact that he was going to be saddled with the one person who was incapable of making anything just routine. 

Sighing softly, he straightened up from his hunched position only to find himself having to duck quickly as something whizzed over his head at an alarmingly fast rate. His hand had already reached for his _kunai_ as he spun around with a slightly panicked look in his eyes. He gaped at the water balloon that hit the wooden fence with a resounding 'splat' behind him. A low 'Damn, I missed him!' reached his ears and turning back slowly, he glared at the rustling clump of bushes a few feet away. He raised a brow as a familiar but muffled voice spoke up soon after.

"I told you to do it when he was still down, Konohamaru. That's the only you could have gotten him."

"Sorry, Naruto-_niichan_. I tried to, but he was too fast."  
"Don't worry. Next time we'll definitely get him."

"Get who, Naruto?" came the dry question as Sasuke moved closer to stand above them with arms folded before his chest and a thunderous expression on his visage.

The two culprits froze at the voice before the blond one rose to his feet with a sheepish grin on his face. 

"Sasuke!" he cried out in an act of over exaggerated surprise. "What are you doing here?"

"Shouldn't I be asking you that?"

"Uum…"

"The patrol?" Sasuke looked incredulous although he really shouldn't have been. Naruto had a knack for forgetting the most mundane things sometimes.

"Oh! The patrol. I knew that," the blond added a bit indignant before turning around to face his silent and ogling companion. "Looks like playtime is over, Konohamaru. We will finish this some other day."

"When?" came the eager question from the bright-eyed teen.

"On the day I am not on patrol," Naruto replied surreptitiously.

"And when will that day be?"

"Soon." The blond was beginning to get irritated with the other's persistence. 

"Is that tomorrow?" Konohamaru continued relentlessly.

"I am on patrol for the week, Konohamaru."

"Oh."

A heartbeat of silence and then, 

"So next week then?"

Naruto took a deep breath and fought down the angry retort he had been ready to lash out. Instead, he settled for a tight smile and a ruffle of the teen's dark locks.

"Next week sounds fine."

"Awesome! I'm holding you to that promise, _nii-chan_!" Konohamaru replied with a bright smile. "And we are definitely going to get you Sasuke!" He reiterated his statement with a loud raspberry towards the now amused dark-haired _shinobi_ before running down the street and out of sight. 

An uneasy silence fell between the two boys as they watched the disappearing figure. Sasuke was the first to break it as he adjusted the rather heavy green jacket of his _chuunin_ uniform.

"Ready, Naruto?" he asked curtly. He would deal with their incessant need to tease him later on. Right now, they had a job to do.

"What about Sakura?" Naruto asked with a puzzled frown on his features as he followed his companion's lead. "Isn't she coming?"

"She's sick," came the simple reply.

Naruto blinked in surprise. "Sick? She was fine yesterday afternoon. Why did she become sick?"

Sasuke shrugged but there was a tight expression on his face that was not lost on the blond. It looked like Sasuke was hiding something.

"What did you do to her now?" he asked with barely concealed irritation. 

He was well aware of the _unstable _relationship that Sakura and Sasuke had. Naruto had long given up hope of ever trying to win Sakura's heart since it seemed as if her infatuation for Sasuke had no plans of dying anytime soon. He had settled for becoming as good a friend as he could possibly be and that included looking out for her best interests. It was unfortunate that one of such roles was to always comfort her after each argument between she and Sasuke. Naruto had always known or at least gotten the inkling over the years that Sasuke was not interested in Sakura in _that way_. He had practically begged Sasuke to give Sakura a try at a relationship even though that conversation – to this day – still left a bitter taste in his mouth as he recalled it. Sasuke had agreed, more to shut Naruto up than anything and for a while things had gone just fine. Sakura had been happy and Naruto could have sworn that they were days when he had caught the dark-haired _shinobi_ _smiling_ in her company. 

However, that didn't stop the arguments both of them had, seemingly, every other day. Naruto would sometimes find Sakura crying and after much prodding, would finally get her to open up to what had happened. It was either she wanting to do something and Sasuke not being interested or it was Sasuke – and his inherent lack of tact – insulting her again.

"What do you care?" Sasuke suddenly blurt out coldly. They had now reached the main hub of the village and for a moment, the noise from the citizens had drowned out the boy's question causing Naruto to ask quickly.

"What did you say?"

"Nothing."

"It wasn't nothing," the _kyuubi_ replied angrily. "What did you do to Sakura?!"

Sasuke glanced at the angry blond and into those flashing blue eyes of his that always seemed to darken to deep cobalt when upset. It was almost hypnotic…if you stared long enough. He was spared an answer as a sudden piercing scream reached their ears. All thoughts of Sakura flew out of their minds as they ran towards the building it had come from. A small crowd had already begun to gather and both _shinobi_ had to push their way through the throng to get to the forefront. For a moment, they weren't sure of what they were seeing as all their brain could register was the spilled basket of fruits on the ground and the two people engaged in a wrestling match on the beside it. 

"Somebody stop them!" came the shriek from the hideous, heavily made-up fat lady. "They are destroying my shop!"

Naruto, ever willing to the first to achieve anything before his rival, made a dash towards the fighting men. He opened up his mouth to blurt out a loud 'Stop', only to find himself flying across the room as one of the men had punched him in the stomach. Naruto barely heard the concerned cry from Sasuke as the pain seemed to wrack through his entire body. He wrapped his arms around his injured torso, feeling the warm, metallic taste of blood fill his mouth. The sounds of another scuffle and the undeniable mutterings of several seals being chanted finally permeated his dulled senses. The blond _shinobi _opened up his eyes weakly to the sight of Sasuke now standing above two still figures on the ground, while giving instructions to the gushing woman before him. Naruto could feel the familiar bile of bitterness, jealousy, disappointment and embarrassment fill his mouth.

As usual, Sasuke had taken the limelight and he was in the shadows dealing with his humiliation. He staggered to his feet, already feeling the pain from the blow ebbing away, thanks to the power of the demon within him. He wiped his bleeding mouth with the back of his hand and tried to gather some sort of dignity, only to gasp softly as something was placed within his hand.

"Are you okay?" came the soft question of concern that had Naruto clutching the offered napkin tightly. He didn't bother to lift his gaze to meet the, no doubt, mocking ones of his companion as he replied smoothly.

"I am fine but shouldn't you be with your adoring fans?" he added bitterly as he began to make his way out of the store, failing to notice that the woman was beginning to thank him as well. He was too blinded by his emotions to think rationally and all he wanted to do was…

"If you are done wallowing in your self-pity," Sasuke interrupted coldly. "We need to make a stop at Tenmari-san's house to drop these off." He held up the bag of fruits. "Kuriko-sama asked us to…"

"Asked _you,_ Sasuke," Naruto muttered angrily. "I'll continue patrolling while you do your _chores."_

"What the hell is wrong with you?"

"Nothing is wrong with me!"

"Kami," Sasuke muttered in irritation. "I thought you would have outgrown this whole rival thing by now, Naruto. We are supposed to be working together for crying out loud! Why the hell do you feel you have to best me at everything?"

Naruto refused to say anything even though the question had begun to make him think. Just why did he have to continue acting this way? It had already been established that he was much stronger than Sasuke but still…

I want him to respect me… 

The sudden realization had him frozen in his tracks. That was what it boiled down to really. All he wanted was for the genius _chuunin_ to finally acknowledge him as an equal.

Sasuke sighed and placed a hand on Naruto's shoulder, noticing that the blond flinched at the touch. He withdrew quickly and muttered. "I should be done in less than five minutes. Wait for me here." And hardly waiting for the blond's reply, he leapt up to the rooftops to deliver his package.

Naruto could still feel the light tingle and warmth on his shoulder from Sasuke's touch and he felt his cheeks burn with color. It was rare that  Sasuke would touch him on any occasion…well besides in  the heat of battle. Friendly – if that had been considered friendly – pats or touches had _never _happened between them in their five years of being teammates. Odd, really.

"Oi, Naruto."

He spun around at the call, grinning as he came face-to-face with the newly appointed _jounin _Shikamaru. 

"Shikamaru! What are you doing here?"

The lazy – at least, seemingly lazy- _shinobi _gave a light shrug and pointed towards Ino, who was currently buying herself some bracelets, with a resigned look on his features. 

"She says I have to walk with her." He made a low sound of exasperation. "Geez, I was supposed to meet Chouji somewhere." He eyed the flushed blond with a raised brow. "You're supposed to be on patrol, right?"

Naruto nodded.

"So where's your partner?"

The _kyuubi_ shrugged. "He had to deliver something."

"Ah."

They fell silent as each thought of people they would rather have been with. Shikamaru with Chouji, who would probably be disappointed at this time and Naruto with…

"…Sasuke?"

His eyes widened as he stared at the smiling blonde girl before him. "Huh?" he asked rather dumbly.

"I asked if you were with Sasuke," she repeated as she held up her hand to Shikamaru's face. "Do you like it?" she asked of the ring she had gotten for herself. The _jounin_ gave a non-committal grunt as a familiar dark-haired boy soon appeared next to Naruto with a light frown on his features.

"Sasuke!" Ino squealed in delight as she moved closer to show him the ring. "What do you think?"

The _shinobi _shrunk back a little. "It's nice," he replied quickly, while giving a responding nod to the small one that Shikamaru had greeted him with. There was clearly no love lost between the two of them and neither boy had made an attempt to hide their obvious dislike for each other.

"Ready to go, Naruto? We don't have time to waste here."

"Hey, you made me wait here for you," Naruto corrected with an angry scowl. But he was ignored as Sasuke had already begun to walk away again. Giving a frowning Shikamaru and a disappointed Ino, a quick wave goodbye, Naruto found himself having to run up to catch his striding partner.

For the next hour, they combed the streets, stopping minor fights or arguments along the way. These were peaceful times for Konoha and there really was no reason for patrolling. But Tsunade – the Fifth Hokage - was not taking any chances and so she had assigned a different set of _chuunin _or _jounin_ to do daily patrols in and around the village at all times.

"Can't we stop for a break now?" Naruto asked in a low whine as they passed a corner that they had come across just a few minutes earlier. They were practically going around in circles. "I am hungry."

The genius seemed to be tired as well as he made no effort to protest the blond's suggestion. "We can eat there," he said as he pointed towards one of the higher rooftops in the village. 

Naruto blinked in surprise and glanced at his companion, wondering why there was a dull blush on Sasuke's cheeks. 

"You…you want me to eat with you?" he finally asked incredulously.

If anything, Sasuke's blush deepened, but his voice was a bit snappy. "Are you hungry or not?"

Not one to question food-related matters, Naruto nodded quickly and followed his puzzling teammate. As they landed lithely on the rooftop, Naruto couldn't help gasping softly at how breathtaking the view was from their vantage point.

"Wow…"

"Great, isn't it?" Sasuke agreed with a small smile gracing his lips. "I usually eat here…"

The words trailed off as the enormity of the situation sunk in. This was Sasuke's secret place. Sasuke was actually sharing his private haven with him! The _kyuubi _found himself hopelessly gaping at the dark-haired boy, not sure of what to say in response. Sasuke, on the other hand, seemed to have recovered from his silence as he sat down and opened up the small lunch pack he had made for himself. 

_Rice cakes, _Naruto noticed with a light chuckle. The genius _shinobi_ had always had a soft spot for the snacks. Ignoring the bemused frown he was given, Naruto sat down beside Sasuke and opened up his simple meal of sandwiches and a small carton of milk. Sasuke took a bite of his food while shaking his head softly.

"You and milk," he muttered.

Naruto tried to look upset but failed miserably as a smile lit up his features.

"You and rice cakes," he teased in return.

They stole almost shy glances at each other before the blond burst out laughing. Sasuke allowed himself a light chuckle before settling in for the long and companionable silence that fell between them.

Naruto was the first to finish and with a satisfied burp, he lay on his back and closed his eyes with a soft sigh of content escaping his lips. How he wished that things could be like this forever. Just he and the bright blue sky above him with the one person he cared for by his side.

Eh?! 

His lashes flew open at the last thought. Had he actually just considered being with Sasuke a perfect day for him? What the hell was he thinking?!

He could hear the other teen give a low burp and then the undeniable sound of someone lying right next to him. Naruto's cheeks flared…no, his entire body flared with heat again and he could feel a growing sense of panic fill his being. This wasn't right. This entire scene was definitely _not _right! He wasn't supposed to be on a rooftop with a boy who annoyed the hell out of him. He wasn't supposed to be enjoying himself with Sasuke! He had to get up and leave…now! He had to break this oh-so-wonderful illusion of…

"Sakura," Sasuke began softly, causing Naruto to perk up with curiosity. "Sakura and I had an argument."

The _kyuubi _fought down the urge to make a smart-assed comment to that, but he guessed that this was going to be one of the rarer occasions when Uchiha Sasuke was ever going to open up to him.

For a long minute, Sasuke said nothing and just when Naruto thought he would have to kick him to continue, the boy continued in that same quiet voice that now had a slight hint of resignation in it.

"It won't work, Naruto. It just won't. So, please do me a favor and try not to get us 'together' again, okay?"

"But why?" Naruto blurted out as he sat upright in genuine confusion. "I don't understand, Sasuke. Sakura is beautiful and smart and just…just perfect for you. Why don't you like her?"

Wild blue and darkest black stared into the other for several heart-stopping moments before Sasuke frowned and turned his gaze away.

"I don't…can never like her in that way, Naruto."

"…"

Sasuke shook his head and curled into a fetal position. "Forget it," he mumbled as he closed his eyes. 

"Oi, oi, don't you go to sleep on me!" came the indignant cry as Naruto reached out to tap the stoic boy's shoulder. "Explain yourself, damn it!"

"Why should I?"

Naruto opened and shut his mouth for a second before replying heatedly. "You started this, so finish it!"

Sasuke remained still for a moment, before snickering lightly. "Finish it, huh?"

"Ye…yes," Naruto stuttered weakly, not really sure if he wanted Sasuke to finish anything now. There had been a certain predatory inflection in that reply that was beginning to worry Naruto. He took his hand away from the dark-haired boy's shoulder, but it was a minute too late as he found it trapped within a much stronger one.

"Sasuke!" he cried out weakly before giving a yelp of surprise as he was spun around quickly, somehow becoming trapped beneath the heated length that was Sasuke's body. Naruto's cheeks darkened with color and grew even hotter as he felt something undeniably hard pressed against his stomach.

It…it couldn't be! 

He gaped helplessly into those eyes that were now so pitch black, Naruto was sure he would die at the sheer intensity of that stare. He squeezed his eyes shut and tried to release himself from Sasuke's grip. 

"Let me go, damn it! Let me go!"

He sounded so pathetically helpless and weak and he hated himself for feeling that way. His fears grew tenfold as he felt Sasuke's heated whisper against his ear.

"Why should I, Naruto? You wanted to see this finished, right?"

Sasuke moved and Naruto whimpered. Why wouldn't his body cooperate with him and stop responding? Why couldn't he control his breathing, which was now rapid and harsh. Why was he suddenly thinking of those lips that were now brushing against the skin of his ear in such light feather-like touches? 

Oh, sweet Kami, that feels so good… 

Those teasing lips were now hovered dangerously close to his and to his chagrin, Naruto found himself parting them, ready and willing to accept whatever happened next. He felt as if he was about to go up in flames or he was sure he _would _go up in flames if Sasuke decided to kiss him. Never questioning why he was even entertaining the thought, Naruto, unconsciously thrust up to press his heated body against his rival's. Needing…wanting…

And just like that, the warmth was gone.

Naruto opened up his eyes, unaware of the low sound of dismay that had escaped him as he watched Sasuke dust himself off with his back turned to him. He groaned and closed his aching thighs together, willing his throbbing and aching groin to cease its torture on his body. Damn Sasuke for confusing him like this!

"Now, do you see why I could never like Sakura?" came the quiet question from Sasuke, who was yet to look Naruto in the eye.

The blond could only blink for a few seconds before it slowly dawned on him. Sasuke was…he was…

"No…" he whispered softly, not sure if he ought to feel repulsed or glad at the news. 

"Yes, Naruto," Sasuke replied with a wry grin as he began to walk away. "I think I am going to stop putting up false pretenses and go with my gut instincts from now on. First, I will let Sakura know and then…" He ran fingers through his hair a bit restlessly. "And then maybe I can find the guts to tell someone how I really feel about him." He coughed and took a deep breath. "Let's do one more patrol, Naruto and then report to Tsunade, okay?"

And hardly waiting for his companion, Sasuke leapt down the building, leaving a very contemplative and quite shell-shocked Naruto in his wake.

To find the guts to tell someone how I feel about him… 

Who was it? Lee? Neji? Gaara? Chouji? Shikamaru? Highly unlikely but…one could never tell. Kiba? Hell, Kakashi-sensei?!

Naruto bit his lower lip, feeling a strange and rather surprising well of jealousy fill the pits of his stomach.

"Maybe it's…"

"Naruto?! Are you coming or not?"

The _kyuubi_ shook his head. "No, it couldn't be. He can't like me like that….he was just using me as an example…"

"Naruto!"

"Coming!"

But still…it couldn't hurt to try to find out just who had caught Sasuke's eye. He leapt down from the rooftop, ignoring the bewildered look he was beginning to receive from the genius _shinobi._

Sasuke raised a brow. "What are you smiling about?" he asked as he noticed the small quirk of the blond's lips.

"Oh, nothing," came the flippant reply as Naruto did the unthinkable and placed his arm around the surprised boy's shoulder. "Let's just continue patrolling, okay?"

Yes, it was all coming together now. Naruto realized that he would have to think up a plan and one fast. It would be a pain to get Gaara, but the others would be easy to deal with. All he had to do was set up Sasuke with each boy…and man on a 'date' to find out the truth. 

It was the perfect plan, wasn't it? Nothing could possibly go wrong with that…could it?

TBC!

**Author's Rambling:** If you noticed in my Naruto stories, I seem to have some kind of trouble making those two say how they feel about each other. ;; There always has to be something that stops them and I think that's what makes their pairing so cool. I see Sasuke as the kind of person who would rather choke on his tongue than openly admit that he loves anyone let alone Naruto and in the blond's case, he might be more willing to admit it, but the process of getting there is what makes it so fun. /glomps her two clueless bishies/ ^_^


	2. Neji Asks Questions

**Pairings:** Sasu/Naru, Neji/Sasu?, Neji/Naru?

**Warnings:** Shounen-ai (boys drooling over other boys), language

**Disclaimers:** Main characters are properties of Kishimoto-san. I make no money off them.

**Author's Notes and Thanks:** Whoo hoo! Thank you, thank you, thank you for all the cool responses. I will try my darnest to make this as funny and as in character as possible. Hehe…there are lots of hints for other pairings in the story, so be on the lookout and try to spot as many as you can. 

As for Neji (glomps him!) he is my third favorite character now! ^____^ Those who have read the latest chapters of the manga will understand why. 

And for those who haven't…don't worry, Neji only gets a bit cooler in them – in a badass kind of way. ^^

Blind Dates and Secret Crushes 

**Part 2: Neji Asks Questions**

Early morning in Konoha meant beautiful azure-hued skies, fresh crisp air, the sounds of birds chirping their daily morning rituals to the other and the undeniable sounds of a certain long-haired _shinobi_ practicing a few basic fighting routines in the middle of the lush forest.

Neji Hyuuga, now eighteen and quite tall for his age, sank to the ground in a weary heap. Sweat dripped off his skin in shiny rivulets as he had long taken off his shirt earlier. Half-dressed and not really caring if anyone saw him in such a state, he eyed the wooden stump before him, a small smirk of satisfaction coming to his lips as he noticed that in just a few days, he would finally knock it down to the ground. Years of kicks and punches against the hard stump had caused it to weaken considerably. 

He closed his eyes and allowed himself to relax, hence getting rid of the _byakugan_ he had been using for the past hour or so. Unknown to many, using that technique wasn't exactly all fun and games. If used for an extremely long time, the pain and strain around the eye muscles could be quite trying on the body. And being who he was, Neji would have rather died than admit this weakness to anyone. Absently, his hand reached for the faint scar on his left shoulder. It was the very place he had suffered the almost deathly blow from one of Orochimaru's henchmen. Remembering that fight and for whom they had suffered it for, sent the teen gritting his teeth in bitterness. 

Sasuke. Uchiha Sasuke. They had gone through hell and back for the ungrateful bastard and even after five years, the emotions were not so easy to get rid of. 

A sudden rustle of leaves above him, had his lashes flying open in readiness for a possible attacker. To his inner relief, he saw that it was only a flock of birds flying towards the south. Pale-colored depths stared at the beautiful blue of the sky above him with a small smile gracing his lips. 

Once upon a time, Neji would never have taken the time to admire such mundane and silly things. But thanks to a certain fight during the _chuunin_ exam, he had come to learn that not everything was decided by one's fate and destiny. One could choose whatever path he or she wanted to walk through. He had learned that lesson quite well and from an unlikely teacher at that.

_Uzumaki Naruto._

Who would have thought that the bumbling fool would turn out to be the most rational person out of them all? Neji's smile widened at the thought of fighting with the blond _shinobi_ again. The very thought of engaging in battle with one as strong as Naruto was enough to get his blood and adrenaline flowing again. 

But there was something more. Something even he had tried to tell himself to ignore over the years. 

_An attraction._

It was quite strange really. Neji was never one to give in to matters of the heart and realizing that he was actually harboring feelings for the blond teen had given him cause to reconsider his thoughts and actions lately. It wouldn't do to let Naruto know how he felt. What good would that do for him? And besides…he had a reputation to protect. Neji Hyuuga was one of the most respected _chuunin_ in the village. He had no time for trivial matters like…like… love.

He got to his feet and began to make his way back towards the village. He frowned lightly as he tried to remember those on patrol for the week. Tsunade had given him a list of _chuunin _on duty and since this was the fourteenth, it was…

_Naruto and Sasuke._

He stopped walking as their combined names fell from his lips softly. It had felt so natural to say their names together, almost as if those two were meant to be. Shaking his head at his foolishness, he stepped out of the clearing and straight into the arms of his teacher.

"Gai-sensei!" he gasped in surprise, kicking himself inwardly for not paying much attention to everything around him. That was quite unlike him. 

The teacher seemed just as surprised as his hands had reached out to steady the teen. He smiled warmly at his student. "How are you this morning, Neji? Working hard I see."

The _chuunin_ shrugged and slipped his t-shirt over his head quickly, suddenly feeling self-conscious at being half-dressed in front of the older man. "Yes, I was," he replied a bit too curtly before wishing he hadn't done so. Gai was quite the astute teacher and could read through any of his moods quite easily. 

However, the man refused to indulge in Neji's sour mood. "Tenten and Lee are on their way to the Hokage's place for their instructions. You should hurry up and catch up with them."

"Right," came the non-committal answer as Neji had already begun to make his way towards said building and out of the older man's sights. On second thoughts, he figured it would be best to make a quick stop at his home to clean himself up a bit. He couldn't appear in front of Tsunade looking so…sweaty.

"Neji! Neji!"

The genius spun around quickly and almost fell down in his shock as he watched the running bundle of energy speed towards him. 

What in the world…?

Naruto grinned widely and stopped inches before him, having to hold his knees as he tried to catch his breath. "Whew! I have been looking all over for you."

The dark-haired boy blinked in genuine surprise. He and Naruto had not really had any cause to 'chit-chat' as friends over the years. He wondered what the blond could possibly want with him now. 

"Is there something wrong?" he asked as politely as he could while idly noticing just how flushed the _shinobi's_ skin looked now from his exertions. Neji could feel his hand twitch a little and he had to stuff in into the pocket of his pants as he struggled not to reach out to touch Naruto. Hearing that harsh breathing was enough to get his imaginative mind running towards other ways in which he could make Naruto breath that way. Sweet Kami! He had to stop thinking like this!

"No, nothing is wrong," Naruto finally managed to blurt out as he rose to his full height. He was not as tall as Neji but had still grown considerably over the years. That shock of blond hair was much longer now and the Hyuuga clan member could only marvel at just how much Naruto was beginning to resemble a certain Hokage.

"Then what is it?" Neji asked with a bewildered look on his features. "You aren't trying to back out of patrolling this week are you?"

Naruto shook his head with that same infuriating grin on his face. "No. Don't worry. I am having a blast patrolling." He gave a quick glance around as if to make sure no one was looking before moving closer to the dark-haired boy. "Listen," he began in an urgent whisper. "I was kind of hoping I could ask you for a favor."

"A favor?"

"Uh huh. You wouldn't mind, would you?"

_For you, Naruto…anything._ Neji blushed darkly at his errant thought and shook his head rapidly, before having to nod as he noticed the disappointed look that had come to the blond's visage. 

"Uum…I meant yes. I don't mind helping you out. What is it that you need?"

Naruto beamed and reached into his pockets. He pulled out a scroll and held it up to Neji's face. "I need this to go to Sasuke, but I can't take it to him because Iruka-sensei and I are going on a field mission."

Neji blinked. "A field mission? But you can't…!"

"Shssh!" Naruto placed a finger against the flushed boy's lips. He gave another furtive glance around before leaning even closer than before. Neji could clearly see the darkened blue hues of Naruto's eyes and he could feel his knees trembling a little. And then there was the fact that Naruto's finger was against his lips. All he had to do was part them and he would have that digit right in his mouth.

"I know I'm not supposed to be going, but I couldn't resist," Naruto pleaded with his best puppy-got-lost look. "Will you patrol with Sasuke in my place? I will make it up to you on your next patrol, please?"

Neji really didn't want to do any rounds with Sasuke, but who was he to refuse Naruto's request especially after being asked so nicely.

"Alright," he agreed reluctantly as he accepted the scroll. "So where do we meet?"

"We usually meet at the bridge at about…uh…in less than an hour. You had better hurry," Naruto added quickly. "Sasuke doesn't really like to wait."

Neji scowled at the notion of having to deal with the arrogant Uchiha clan-member, but masked it quickly as he noticed Naruto was beginning to openly stare at him. 

"Do I have something on my face?" Neji asked with a puzzled frown. 

"No…"

"So why do you keep staring at me?"

Naruto had the grace to blush. "Ah…eh…it's nothing. Oops! Would you look at the time! Iruka-sensei will be so mad at me if I don't meet him soon. Thanks a lot for your help, Neji! I won't forget it!" 

And hardly giving the dark-haired boy a chance to reply, he gave Neji a light wave and jogged back towards the village. 

The astute genius stared at the harmless scroll in his hand and then towards the disappearing figure of the _kyuubi_ with a light frown on his handsome features.

_Something isn't right here,_ he thought ruefully. But he had made a promise to Naruto. It was time to keep it, whether he liked it or not.

__

Naruto, for his part, was congratulating himself on achieving a small feat. He would never have thought that Neji would be so willing to accept his offer so quickly. He had been ready to make up some story about how dire the situation was if Neji had proven to be stubborn, but instead the readiness in which the older boy had agreed had turned out to be a blessing. 

Moving quickly, he made his way towards a secret route that Konohamaru had shown him the other day. The younger boy knew every hideaway there was to know and this particular route would take Naruto towards the bridge where he could safely spy on the two boys he had thrust together. 

This was the time to test his theories. Who did Sasuke have a crush on? The most likely case would have been Neji since both boys were practically identical in mannerisms. Both had issues with smiling much or being friendly with others but at least Neji had made an effort over the years to be nicer to others – especially to Hinata. 

A small smile came to his lips at the thought of the quiet and shy girl. She had turned out to be pretty cool and still met Naruto once a week for lunch at the ramen shop. It was almost always her treat despite Naruto's insistence on paying for the meal. 

With a light grunt, he fell to the ground and held his breath. Knowing that he was spying on two very shrewd boys was going to be the tricky part of this. He just hoped that they wouldn't notice him too quickly. It would ruin everything he had so carefully thought of last night. 

Sleep had not come easy by a long shot. Naruto had spent the better part of the night tossing and turning on his narrow bed. Images of Sasuke… Sasuke's hand on his shoulder…on his wrists, Sasuke's breath against his skin. Hot and heavy…

Oooh…

He had closed his eyes and much to his embarrassment had found himself having to visit the bathroom twice in the space of a hour. Needless to say, Sasuke's confession had the blond all in a tizzy, but he was still determined to see his plan through. He would find out once and for all who had claim over Sasuke's heart and then…_and then what?_ Naruto wasn't even sure of what he would do if it did happen to be one of the males he planned to pair him with. 

The sound of footsteps approaching had Naruto holding his breath and peeking through the clump of bushes with growing anxiety. Sure enough, the object of his thoughts was walking up the narrow strip of wood that made up the familiar bridge. Sasuke stopped somewhere in the middle and promptly leaned against the wooden rail, with hands stuck in his pockets and his eyes closed. He remained still for a long moment, allowing Naruto to drink his fill of the quite handsome teenager to his satisfaction. Sasuke was a bit taller than he was and through years of training, had developed a broad chest that tapered off to lean and slender hips. His dark hair had grown to shoulder-length, but it was still kept in its ragged style. Naruto idly wondered what it would feel like to run his fingers through those black tresses. He was sure Sasuke wouldn't like it, but still it didn't stop him from dreaming about it.

Another set of approaching footsteps had Naruto turning quickly to notice Neji, now dressed in his _chuunin_ uniform, walk up to the still figure. 

"Where's Naruto?" came the curt question from Sasuke who hadn't bothered to open up his eyes. 

Neji grit his teeth at the insolent greeting before tossing the scroll he had been holding into Sasuke's hand. "He told me to give that to you. I will be patrolling with you today…"

"It's okay," Sasuke cut in quickly as he opened up his eyes and pushed himself away from the bridge. "You don't have to come with me. I can do it on my own."

Neji shook his head, his frown deepening. "Tsunade's orders. Two _chuunin _at all times, Sasuke."

"Surely you can make an exception this time around."

"No."

Naruto felt his chest tighten considerably as he watched the argument. This was definitely not the way people who had crushes on each other acted. It looked as if Neji and Sasuke couldn't even stand being in each other's presence. 

Inner voice – _Yes!_

Rational voice – _The day isn't over yet. Things could change._

Allowing the rational one to take over, Naruto sighed softly and continued to watch.

Sasuke ran fingers through his hair and gave a low sound of exasperation before reluctantly following the striding boy's lead with a sullen look on his face. He was going to kill Naruto for doing this to him.

__

An hour – no, a very _looong _hour later, Naruto had just about had enough of this spying game. Nothing was happening at all! Both boys had gone about their duties like robots, neither smiling nor talking to each other much besides pointing out instructions or directions.

He yawned and glanced at the sky above him. It would soon be early evening and time for their patrol to be over. Laying back on the rooftop with a small sigh, Naruto closed his eyes and decided to take a nap for a few minutes before going back to spying. 

He opened them up quickly as he heard the unmistakable voice of Neji right below his perch.

"So, do you want to get something to eat now, Sasuke?"

Eh? What's this? Why was Neji's voice no longer cold? The older teen sounded more relaxed than normal! This was bad! 

"I don't mind," Sasuke replied with a similar casual tone. "Where do you want to go?"

_No! No! Don't go with him!_ Naruto pleaded fervently as he scrambled across the roof to lean over the edge. Sure enough Neji and Sasuke were leaning against the building, hands stuck in pockets, with small smiles on their faces. 

_What the hell?!_

"I was thinking of something a bit…different today," Neji said with a small grin now. "Does sushi sound good?"

Sushi?! Sushi was expensive! How could Neji get the money for that?! Not that it was important right now…and why the hell was Neji inviting Sasuke for _sushi?!_

Naruto watched in growing horror as that dangerously sexy smile Sasuke had flashed to him the other day appeared on his face again. 

"No," came the breathless whisper from the dark-haired boy as he leaned closer to his senior. "Sushi sounds excellent, especially when it's combined with you dripping with soy sauce. Mmm…makes me want to lick you completely."

Inches. Mere breathless inches separated the two boys lips now. Naruto could feel his chest constrict painfully. He was going to die. He knew he was. If Sasuke dared go any further, he just knew he would…

"Kiss me, Sasuke. Kiss me now," came the soft command that left no room for compromise. 

And with a chuckle, the genius Uchiha leaned in to claim his prize….

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!! DON'T DO IT, SASUKE!!!"

Naruto tried to maintain his balance but realized he was going to fall anyways. With hands flailing about, he tried to hold on for as long even though he never ceased his plaintive cries.

"Don't you dare touch him!!!"

"Naruto?"

"Don't kiss him! You can't!"

"Naruto?!"

He opened up his eyes to blink dumbly at a certain Uchiha's face above him. He gave a quick glance around and noticed to his chagrin that he was still lying in the same spot as before. There was no sign of Neji, which meant that…

He had dreamt the whole thing up!

"What the hell are you yelling about?" Sasuke asked in genuine confusion as he stared at the flushed boy below him. "And what's this about me not kissing someone?"

Naruto turned a million shades of red at the latter question. He had inwardly prayed that the other _shinobi_ had not heard his first cry…or second or third, but now it was time to think up some excuse and a feasible one at that.

"Oh…ah…I was just…just…dreaming about…about you and a…a…"

A low bark heard from a distance was heard and Naruto finished quickly. "…a dog!"

Sasuke blinked. "A…dog?"

"Yeah, that's right! And you were about to kiss it…so I told you to…eh…stop."

The genius raised a brow. "And what's wrong with kissing a dog?"

_Yeah, Naruto_, his mind taunted. _Just what was wrong with kissing a dog?_ "It was dirty, Sasuke," he retorted with a wrinkle of his nose. "Dirty and smelly. Why would you want to touch such a thing?"

A tense silence fell as they regarded each other for a moment before Sasuke replied with a quiet. "Ah, I see."

Naruto eyed him warily, knowing full well that Sasuke had probably not bought his story in the slightest. With every intention of bolting from the scene before he made a fool of himself, he was stumped into disbelief as Sasuke made himself comfortable on the rooftop beside him. Naruto felt his mouth go dry. He knew he wouldn't be able to stop Sasuke today if what happened last time…well…happened again.

But when the dark-haired boy made no attempt to begin a conversation, Naruto cleared his throat and asked as flippantly as he could.

"So…how did it go with Neji today?"

Sasuke shrugged and lay on his back with hands behind his head. He closed his eyes and replied casually. "It was okay."

Naruto felt something cold fall to the pits of his stomach and he had to clench his hands into fists to stop them from trembling. "Oh?" He was surprised his voice sounded so normal. 

"So…eh…you liked being with him?"

Sasuke shrugged again. "It was okay."

"Stop saying that!" The blond finally cried out in frustration. This caused Sasuke to open up an eye in surprise.

"What's your problem?" he asked. "It's not my fault you decided to skip out on patrol today."

"I didn't skip out. I just…" He couldn't come up with anything this time around. 

Sasuke eyed him for a moment longer before saying curtly. "He kept asking about you."

"Huh?"

"Neji," came the cool response. "Every other chance he got, he kept asking about you."

The _kyuubi_ wasn't sure of what to make of that and he was spared from asking a dumb question as his companion continued heatedly. 

"What does Naruto do?  Is he stronger than before? Is he good to work with?" He gave a light snort. "What the hell do I look like? Your keeper?" 

With a light grunt, he rose abruptly to his feet, a light frown of displeasure on his face. "He was acting as if he had a crush on you…even though he wasn't that obvious with it." He turned to regard the stunned _shinobi _for a moment with eyes that were dark and unreadable. Naruto squirmed with a whole lot more than discomfort at the gaze as he struggled to find something to say. 

"I wonder what he sees…" Sasuke began again, but then stopped and shook his head lightly. He spun on his heels and finished lightly. "See you tomorrow, Naruto and try not to skip out your duties, okay?" And with a quick wave, he 'vanished' from sight, leaving an even more confused and disappointed Naruto in his wake. He had hoped that Sasuke would have wanted to kiss or touch him but he guessed he would have to wait until next time. If there was a next time.

So, what in the world had he achieved today? It was obvious that Sasuke did not have a crush on Neji and that was a huge burden off his shoulders, but then again a whole other problem had arisen with Sasuke's bombshell.

Neji Hyuuga had a crush on _him?_

What in the world was he supposed to do with that piece of news now?!

Next Time: Shikamaru and Chouji make waves… 

**Mini-Rant:** /cries/ I've lost it! My precious notebook that contains most of my scribbles and notes for fics was carelessly dropped by yours truly at a store she visited yesterday. And so I head on out today to look for it, but as fate would have it, said store isn't open. I am seriously trying not to panic here, because I would hate for…uum… 'normal' people to read my work and to wonder what planet I fell from. ;; Or worse yet, it gets into the wrong hands and Kami knows what will happen! So first thing tomorrow morning, I am going to be at that store even before the doors open. Wish me luck! 


	3. Konohamaru grows up Shikamaru and Chouj...

**Disclaimers:** Main characters are properties of Kishimoto san. I make no money off them.

**Warnings:** Shounen-ai (boys behaving badly…somewhat…with other boys)

**Pairings:** Sasu/Naru and others in between.

**Author's Notes:** I have only one thing to say Pinky-cat-chan - /wails/ Noooooooooo, that would never happen! ;; If it does, and I know I probably have less of a right, I will sue the guy's pants off. /lol/

But on a better note, I did find the book! Yay! So thank you to each and every one of you who wished me luck in finding my precious treasure. /glomps all the wonderful reviewers/ Enjoy! ^_^

****

**Part Three:**

**Konohamaru grows up. Shikamaru and Chouji Make Waves:**

Konohamaru eyed his big 'brother' with a wary frown. There was something definitely wrong with the usually vivacious blond teen. It wasn't everyday that Naruto came to meet him with such absentmindedness about him. Why Konohamaru had actually beaten Naruto at a game of Poker, which besides spying on girls in the bathhouses, was the older _shinobi's_ second favorite game. 

"Oy…_nii-chan," he began again as he noticed Naruto with yet another faraway expression on his handsome features. "It's your turn to shuffle the cards."_

"Hn…"

The _kyubi picked up the deck and dutifully arranged them neatly, the frown still on his face as he gave an inward sigh. Okay, things were definitely getting a little complicated around here. He had originally set out to figure out Sasuke's crush but now having to deal with the knowledge that Neji just might have such feelings for him was enough to give him a headache…and even more sinful dreams at night. _

Yesterday's had been particularly interesting – it had involved he, Neji, Sasuke and a bottle of syrup…enough said - and just thinking about it was enough to make Naruto shift restlessly in his hunched position. He wondered if Konohamaru was beginning to get a sense of what was going on with him, but he doubted that. The last Hokage's grandson might be a hyperactive kid, but he was still smart….sometimes.

Speaking of which…

Naruto began to deal out the cards while eyeing Konohamaru carefully. The younger teen had grown up to become quite handsome and he had his fair share of admirers in the village. His trademark gap tooth had become a part of his make-up and was quite attractive whenever he gave a winning smile. Konohamaru was only thirteen, but who said that crushes couldn't begin at that age? 

It was best to tread carefully in situations like these.

"Hey, Konohamaru," he began flippantly as if what he was about to say meant nothing important.

"What is it, _nii-chan?"_

"Do you…eh…do you have a girlfriend?"

Konohamaru had the grace to blush as he lowered his lashes and began to doodle something on the sand beneath his feet. "Why…why are you asking me that, _nii-chan?"_

Naruto shrugged and grinned mischievously even though he tried hard to ignore the hard pounding within his chest. "Well, confess! Who's the lucky girl, huh? Huh?"

If it were any more possible, the younger boy's face flushed even darker as he lowered his entire head now. "You'll laugh at me," he finally mumbled.

Naruto shook his head with a pained expression on his face. "Why would I laugh at you? Aren't we best friends? Come on, tell me, pleeease." _Or I just might go crazy over here_, he thought ruefully.

Konohamaru mumbled something.

"Huh?"

"I said I like Hanabi Hyuga! There! I've confessed!"

_Hanabi…Hyuga??_ Hinata's scary looking kid sister? Naruto gawked at the lowered head for a minute longer, trying very hard not to burst out laughing at the notion of Konohamaru ever having a shot in hell with the independent young woman. Whereas Hinata was quiet and shy, Hanabi was the complete opposite. She was much stronger than Hinata and had a temper that could match her cousin's. Even Naruto wouldn't want to annoy the teen on any ordinary day. 

Hey, at least Konohamaru hadn't said Sasuke.

"That's….that's good…" he began but was stumped into silence by the vehement reply.

"No, it's not good!" Konohamaru had lifted his head and even though it was still flushed a bright red; there was a look of hopelessness and desperation in his eyes. A look that Naruto had a feeling he was about to know all too well. 

"She doesn't even look at me, _nii-chan_!" he continued in broken sentences. It was as if he was doing his best to hold back his tears. "I thought if I was lucky enough to be paired up in the same team, she might like me a little bit, but all she does is look down on me. It's like I don't even exist to her!"

Naruto was stunned to really see tears slide down the younger boy's cheeks now. He shifted uncomfortably and stole a quick glance around to make sure no one was watching them before wrapping his arms tightly around the trembling teen. 

"It hurts, _nii-chan," came the muffled voice against Naruto's chest as Konohamaru continued to sob softly. "It really, really hurts. To know that you like someone and they don't even feel the same way for you..."_

_Trust me, Konohamaru_, Naruto thought with a sad smile as he whispered soothing words of reassurance. _I know exactly how you mean._

"What can I do, _nii-chan?" the younger __shinobi finally asked as he pulled back to wipe his tears away quickly. He now looked a bit embarrassed at his breakdown and a shared look between the two boys sealed the fact that neither was going to talk about what had just happened between them. "How can I get her to notice me?"_

Naruto blushed a little before shaking his head lightly. "You are asking the wrong person, Konohamaru…"

"But you are doing well with Hinata-san!" came the persistent cry. "How did you get her to like you?"

What the hell was that supposed to mean? Was Konohamaru trying to say that nobody could possibly like him? The little…

"She's nice and we are friends, Konohamaru and that's that."

"So…you haven't done…you know…"

Naruto raised a brow. "…I know…what?"

The younger boy smirked and leaned closer. "You know what."

Naruto scowled. "No, I don't."

"Yes, you do!"

"No, I don't!"

Konohamaru sat back on his heels and ogled at his big 'brother' in complete surprise. "You mean you really haven't…_kissed_ a girl before?"

"Shssssssssssh!" Naruto slapped a hand over the younger boy's mouth and stole another furtive glance around. "What business is it of yours?"

"Mmmmffffhmmmhff!"

"What?" Naruto took his hand away. 

"I said even Sasuke has kissed a girl before."

Naruto felt his chest constrict tightly again at the statement. Of course, he knew that Sasuke had kissed a girl before. He didn't need Konohamaru to remind him of that. Damn it!

"And how would you know that?" Naruto asked with a slight pout. He didn't care. He didn't care. He didn't…

"It was on the night of the festival. He and Sakura-san," Konohamaru continued relentlessly. "It wasn't really long, but it was long enough to teach me a few things. Hehe…"

Naruto's fingers itched to throttle the boy's neck. "Oh? So, what's the big deal?"

"Sasuke-kun's a good kisser."

Naruto choked and began to pound his chest to get some air back into it. Had Konohamaru just said…??

"Well, I wouldn't know," the boy continued. "I just overhead Sakura telling that to Ino later on that night. And you wouldn't believe what else I saw!"

Naruto wasn't sure he even wanted to know. He was still smarting over that line about Sasuke being a good kisser. _He_ had almost kissed Sasuke…or was that the other way around? He would have loved for the dark-haired boy to have gone all the way on that day, but nooooo Sasuke just had to chicken out. Well, not next time!

"…Chouji kissing."

The _kyubi_ blinked. "What did you say?"

Konohamaru, with a mischievous glint in his eye, leaned even closer to whisper into Naruto's ear. "I said, I could have sworn I saw Shikamaru and Chouji kissing each other beneath the trees in the forest the other day. Hehe…it was so…weird."

What was even weirder was the fact that he was learning all of this from Konohamaru. Kami! The boy was like a never-ending well of gossip.

"Seriously?" Naruto asked, now more than intrigued at this latest news. Of course, he didn't believe it, but it was nice to know that the competition was narrowing down by the second. If Shikamaru and Chouji were really together then there was no way that they could have feelings for Sasuke.

"Yeah!" Konohamaru enthused in almost giddy pleasure. "I couldn't be sure though, I mean it was night and all, but there were awfully close…why are you smiling?"

"I'm not smiling."

"Yes, you are," Konohamaru insisted. "You have that goofy grin on your face…"

"Goofy? What do you mean by goofy…?"

"Naruto?"

Both boys spun around quickly at the deep and all too familiar voice, which immediately sent the blond's cheeks flooding with color at the figure standing before them.

"Sas…Sasuke. What are you doing here?" And why in Kami's name was his voice suddenly sounding so breathless? Konohamaru must have noticed it as he cocked his head to the side to stare at his blushing playmate with curiosity. 

Sasuke didn't seem to care that Naruto was with anyone else. His gaze was pinned directly on the flustered teen as he patted the black bag that was slung over his shoulder.

"I'm going down to the waterfall for a while. Do you want to come with me?"

It had been so casual, so careless. As if this was something they did every damn day. There was a small smile – well, it wasn't really a smile – more like a smirk and yet again Naruto found himself staring helplessly at Sasuke's lips.

_/Sasuke's a good kisser…/_

_DAMN IT!_

"Sure! Why not?" Naruto rose to his feet and gave a light wave to his still silent companion. "See you tomorrow, Konohamaru. Be good, okay?"

The younger boy smirked and nodded. "Hehe…I'll be good. You had better be good yourself. Don't be another…Shikamaru and Chouji." He cackled and ran off in glee, leaving Naruto sputtering and blushing even harder at the comment.

He and Sasuke….kissing beneath a tree…fat chance.

"What was he talking about?" Sasuke asked casually as he began to lead the way towards the edge of the cliff.

Naruto shook his head and picked up a small fallen tree branch to play with. "Nothing. Konohamaru talks funny sometimes."

"I still don't know why you hang out with him," came the flat reply that had the _kyubi_ stealing a quick glance at his slightly taller companion. Had he detected a tone of…_jealousy_ in that sentence?

Nah, it was probably just his imagination.

"He's fun to hang out with," Naruto argued with a light frown as he tossed the stick a bit higher. "Why?"

Sasuke raised a brow. "Why what?"

"Why did you ask me that?"

The genius eyed the blushing teen for a moment longer before turning his gaze back to the road ahead of them. "Don't you know yet, Naruto?" he mumbled more to himself. "Kami, you can be such a blockhead sometimes."

He pushed his way through a clump of bushes and soon they were faced with the beautiful and quite breathtaking sight of the famous Konoha waterfalls. Memories of training with Jiraiya in this very spot five years ago came flooding back in a rush, causing him to smile softly in remembrance. He was unaware of the soft intake of breath from his companion or the way the dark-haired boy had slowly lifted a hand towards his golden locks and taken it down just as quickly.

"Let's go," Sasuke cut in a bit too harshly as he leapt down the tricky slope and begun a light jog towards the riverbank. 

"Oi…wait up!" Naruto cried out as he began to run after his disappearing teammate. He was just about to make it to the final jump off, when he lost his footing and slid the rest of the way down on his stomach. He was unable to stop the cry of pain that spilled from his lips as he felt the rocks rip holes through his t-shirt and scrap across his skin. The fall seemed to last forever, but strong hands grasped his wrists to pull him up quickly. He found himself pulled flush against someone's solid strength and imagining it to be Sasuke rescuing him yet again, he was more than stunned to hear the lazy drawl from a familiar friend.

"Geez, Naruto, you idiot. Trust you to fall down so easily."

"Is he alright?" 

Chouji's voice. _Great._

Where the hell was Sasuke?  
"I think he is," Shikamaru pulled back a little to evaluate the damage done. Naruto's shirt was ripped to shreds and there were rough scratches on his skin that was beginning to ooze quite a fair amount of blood. The _jounin_ made a sound of exasperation as Chouji tried hard not to retch over the bag of chips he had been feasting on earlier. 

"You might have to go to the hospital, Naruto," Shikamaru decided firmly. "You look like…hell."

Naruto shook his head rapidly as he tried to pull away from the other boy's hold. "No, I'm fine…" he gasped out weakly. He would heal quickly. He almost always did. It took him only a second later to realize that the two boys standing before him were practically…_naked_ – well, besides the swim shorts they had on. Shikamaru's hair, which was usually in a ponytail high above his head, now hung in, wet tendrils across his face and shoulders. Chouji's bright red hair was in pretty much the same state. And trying hard to ignore Konohamaru's observations of both boys kissing each other before, Naruto raised a questioning brow.

Chouji was more than happy to reply. "We were just swimming," he tossed the finished pack of chips and reached for another one in a nearby basket filled with food. "Shika and I were camping out here for the day. We didn't expect you to drop by."

Naruto would hardly have called it _dropping by_, but he was bleeding and needed…

"Have you seen, Sasuke?" he asked curtly. He eyed the environs with growing irritation and concern. It wasn't like his teammate to ignore him like this when he was in trouble. Naruto knew he ought to feel a bit ashamed at always expecting Sasuke to rescue him, but this time was different. He had really hurt himself and the dark-haired boy was now nowhere to be seen.

_Hmph! Who needs him anyway?_

Stripping out of his torn shirt, he tossed that aside quickly, completely ignoring the surprised looks that came his way. His hands moved to the hem of his pants and he shrugged out of them just as quickly, causing Shikamaru and Chouji to gasp in surprise as Naruto now stood in only his dark green boxer shorts. 

"Naru…Naruto?!" Shikamaru finally blurt out a bit shakily. "What are you doing?"

"What does it look like I'm doing?" The _kyubi_ bit back in irritation. "Swimming, ne?"

And hardly looking back at his stumped companions, he dove into the clear waters and began to swim as hard and as fast as he could. Each stroke of his arms caused his stomach muscles to protest the movement, but Naruto didn't care. That bastard Sasuke, who he had a self-pitying crush on, had not even bothered to find out how he was doing. Sasuke, too-good-for-anyone-else, Sasuke, had ignored him…_again_.

_/It hurts, nii-chan…it hurts…/_

_Tell me about it,_ Naruto thought ruefully as he continued to punish himself with each length he completed. Finally feeling as if his lungs were going to burst, he pushed himself out of the water and fell onto the wet sand of the bank with a harsh gasp for air. Just as predicted, his wounds were already beginning to heal and Naruto groaned weakly before laying onto his back to stare miserably at the incredibly blue sky above him. 

Stupid…stupid…stupid! Sasuke doesn't even like… 

"Bakayaro," came the low taunt from someone he knew only too well.

He growled and sat upright, more than ready to give the smug-looking teen a piece of his mind, but like the last time, he soon found himself pushed back to the ground and staring up to the face of the boy he wanted to throttle at this time.

"Let me go, Sasuke," he muttered angrily, even though his cheeks (and to be honest, his body was betraying him yet again). "And put your clothes on for Kami's sake!"

The genius _chuunin_ snickered and eyed his bare chest. "What's wrong with it, Naruto? I was only swimming. You didn't expect me to go in the water with my clothes on, do you? Or are you just upset that I didn't come to rescue you this time?"

"Shut up…"

"I thought you didn't like me rescuing you, Naruto?" Sasuke continued mercilessly, that wicked smirk growing a bit wider.

Was it just him or was Sasuke getting some kind of perverse pleasure from seeing him squirm? Naruto was seriously beginning to think that it was the case and he felt that he was even more at a disadvantage. Sasuke was beginning to make him feel things he so badly didn't want to... 

"Aaah! What are you doing?!" he tried to scream out in anger, but it had ended up as a breathless gasp as he watched the wet black locks below him. Sasuke's hand had begun a slow and almost feather-like caress across his injured torso. And Naruto could only hiss and bite his lower lip in dull pleasure, his muscles clenching tightly in response to the deliberate teasing on his fevered flesh.

Oh, sweet Kami. He's going to feel my…my… 

He shivered and Sasuke lifted his head to smile softly at him. "Are you cold, Naruto?" he asked quietly, as his hand – that wicked but fantastic hand – continued to move even lower down the blond's abdomen. 

"Oh…no…yes…maybe…"

He wasn't making much sense and he could care less at this point. He gave an even louder gasp as he felt something eerily like warm breathing on his trembling skin. Sasuke's lips were barely brushing against his tightened torso and unable to control himself, Naruto sunk his hands into the wet damp hair – that was slightly silky to the touch - to tug on it a bit roughly.

"No…" They had to stop this but yet, he _didn't_ want it to stop. It felt too good. _Sasuke _felt too damn good. But they were in public. Anyone could see them. Anyone like…

"What in the world is going on here?"

Both boys pulled away from each other as if they had been stung as the surprised and bemused voice permeated their dulled senses. Naruto groaned and closed his eyes in disbelief. Why? Why was this happening to him now? He suddenly wished that the ground would open up and swallow him whole as a flood of embarrassment and humiliation rushed down his half-naked body.

Anyone…anyone but _him!_

**AN:** Who? Who could it possibly be? Sakura? Neji? Kakashi? Iruka-sensei? Jiraiya? The Cat in the Hat? Weigh in your thoughts and for every right guess, you can reward yourself with a chocolate-flavored Sasuke or Naruto lollipop. /lol/ ^-^


	4. Neji sees Stars Kakashisensei iswhat!

**Pairings:** Sasu/Naru, Naru/Neji

**Warnings:** Shounen-ai (boys….yeah, you know the drill)

**Disclaimers:** Main characters are property of Kishimoto-san. I make no money off them.

**Author's Notes:** May I just say that the Naruto fans have got to be the craziest and funniest people out there?! /LOL/ I don't think I have laughed so hard at some of the responses for the last chapter before. Oh, man, you guys rock. Thanks for the positive and surprisingly massive feedback. Much, much appreciated!

On the other hand, all of those loyal readers still waiting for an update with 'Darkness Falls' please be patient with me. I know you are eager as I am to see what happens next. So here's to keeping our fingers crossed. ^_^

And now on to our regularly scheduled program. 

****

****

**Neji  sees Stars; Kakashi-sensei is… what?**

It was Sasuke who found his voice first and it was anything but friendly in tone. "The question is, what are _you _doing here?"

"I hardly think that is necessary," came the icy remark. "This is a public place after all."

"Yes, but as you can obviously see," Sasuke waved a hand about. "There is no one else here but you…and us of course."

Naruto wished he was dead.

Apparently, their visitor thought that a certain dark-haired _sharingan_-wielding _shinobi_ ought to be the one in that position. "There is no name written on a sign anywhere that says I cannot wander…"

"Ah, so you were wandering. Do you have nothing to do with yourself?"

The boy bristled at the taunt and took a deep breath. He closed his eyes and tried to calm himself. There really was no need to get angry over anything, right? After all, it's wasn't everyday you just stumbled across two boys who were obviously doing things that would have been considered illegal in some parts of the country…

Damn it! Why wasn't it _him_ kissing Naruto's stomach?!

He opened up his eyes and smiled coldly. "You talk too much, Uchiha. Perhaps you should use that mouth of yours for other things of importance."

Sasuke smirked and leaned back, his hand reaching to caress the blond's exposed stomach gently. He was unaware of the panicked look that was beginning to fill Naruto's eyes. 

 "Ah, but I was _using_ my mouth for something very important, Hyuuga. In fact, if you had come here about five minutes later, you would have seen just how important it was bound to become."

Both Naruto and Neji flushed darkly at the image the words conjured up, but it was the _kyuubi_ that was the first to recover. Still reeling from Sasuke's actions, he bound to his feet – albeit shakily – and staggered backwards in disbelief, embarrassment and growing humiliation. 

"It's a lie, Neji," he sputtered out quickly. "We weren't going to do anything…"

Sasuke snickered and closed his eyes. He leaned back on his elbows and allowed the sun to caress his bare chest. "I didn't hear you complaining, Naruto. If anything you seemed to enjoy it."

"You idiot!" Naruto shouted in frustration. "Why do you keep acting so cool, huh? It's not like I like you in that way or anything!"

"You don't?" Neji asked a bit too eagerly, but Naruto was too flustered to notice and he shook his head rapidly. 

"I hate Sasuke! Everyone knows that!"

The younger genius _chuunin's_ jaw tightened at the comment, but he refused to open up his eyes or acknowledge Naruto's rather hurtful words. He shrugged instead and replied calmly. "So what? I hate your guts too, Naruto but we've worked well over the years and that's all we are, right? Just teammates and nothing else."

Naruto felt his heart sink at the calm words, but he had to keep up the act. He couldn't afford to show just how much those words had made him feel so…hollow and defeated. 

"Yeah, that's right!" he continued in that same angry tone. "Just teammates and that's it!"

Neji smiled a bit smugly and nodded in dawning understanding. So it looked like the situation was clear for him. He would have to take it slow though. There was no need to rush Naruto into a relationship. 

"So, he was taking advantage of you, is that it?" he asked coldly as he glared at his new rival in the battle for Naruto's love. "I always knew you were an annoying and insensitive person, but to stoop that low, Uchiha? I cannot believe it."

He ignored the fisted hands that Sasuke made at his words as he walked up to Naruto. The blond was unable to stop the light flush that filled his cheeks at the concerned look in the older boy's eyes and he suddenly wished he had his clothes around here somewhere. Being half-naked in front of two boys who were so much alike was beginning to do a number on his psyche. 

"Are you alright, Naruto?" Neji asked softly as he took off his _chuunin_ jacket to drape it over the blond's shoulders gently. "He didn't hurt you, did he?"

Naruto shook his head slowly, stealing a quick glance over the other boy's shoulder to see what Sasuke was doing. To his growing irritation, the _shinobi _was already beginning to make his way towards the cliff again. 

Damn him! Couldn't he even show that he was upset or jealous or both?! _Damn you, Sasuke!_

"Naruto?"

He lifted his gaze to stare into the handsome face above him. "Ah…eh…did you say something to me, Neji?"

And was it just him or was the older boy blushing? And come to think of it, Neji's jacket was warm and quite cozy. He had been so busy worrying over Sasuke, he had not noticed how well the cloth fit him. It even smelled like the genius. A wild, tangy and exotic scent that reminded the _kyuubi_ of cinnamon and wild pine. 

He closed his eyes and moaned softly in appreciation, hardly noticing the sharp intake of breath from Neji as he savored the warmth. 

"We…I mean…would you like to go…uum…" 

What was Naruto's favorite place again? He had asked Hinata about this earlier too. Oh yeah, that was it! Noodles! "Would you like to go get some ramen? I am getting a bit hungry."

Ah, the one magic word that could get Naruto becoming anyone's best friend in a heart beat. "Really?!" he asked with widened eyes that were gradually filling with pleasure and delight. 

Neji smiled warmly in response. This was a first step. Things were slowly but surely looking up. 

"Yes, really and it's my treat."

"Alright! Let's go! Today is _soba_ day!" Naruto began to gush in excitement as he reached for Neji's hand to lead him towards said shop. He would eat first and then think of what to do with Sasuke later. 

After all, a full stomach was the key to all great decisions. 

Neither teen paid any more attention to the still figure that watched them from the top of the cliff. There was a look of pure jealousy and anger on his handsome features. 

__

Hinata walked slowly behind her younger sister as they made their way down the market street of Konoha. Hanabi seemed excessively hyper today and poor bewildered Hinata could not understand the reason for it. Hanabi was usually reserved but more outgoing, however today was quite different. Hinata just couldn't put a finger on it. 

What was even more puzzling was the weird conversation she had had with her cousin the other day. It wasn't as if she and Neji didn't talk to each other on a fairly regular basis. It was just the nature of the discussion that had the quiet teen a bit…bemused. 

She had been sitting beneath a tree reading one of the many scrolls that she enjoyed to indulge in when a shadow fell over her. Looking up, she was surprised to notice her handsome cousin standing before her with a look of wariness and an almost shy air around him. 

"Am I disturbing you, Hinata?" he asked softly.

She shook her head and motioned for him to sit down next to her. He did so and neither said a word for a long time. Hinata had come to understand her cousin's silent pauses better than anyone else. She knew that at this time, his mind was usually churning with thoughts that he would reveal to her sooner or later. And so she waited patiently until his quiet question started her to attention.

"What does Naruto like?"

She stared at him blankly, wondering how in the world such a question had come to be. She was sure she detected the boy blushing, but she couldn't be sure. "How do you mean?" she asked softly. 

"You know…what kinds of things please him?"

Hinata smiled warmly and then burst into shy giggles. "I don't really know him that well, Neji. But if there is one thing that Naruto absolutely adores to death, it is ramen."

The Hyuuga genius gawked at her. "Ramen? That's it…_ramen?"_

She nodded. "Uh huh. He loves it to death. Give him ramen and you are his friend for life."

She watched him tuck that little bit of information away and her curiosity grew tenfold. "Why do you ask?"

He lowered his head and debated on whether or not to tell her and deciding not to, he shook his head and gave her a small smile instead. "Oh, it's nothing," he replied as he rose to his feet. "I think we might be switching teams next week, so I just want to keep up with everyone."

Hinata looked blank but gave a small nod anyway. "Ah…okay, if you say so."

But she didn't buy that for one minute and if Neji knew about it, he made no attempt to show it. Let Hinata think what she liked. No one's opinions mattered more to genius than that of a certain blond _shinobi._

Well, that had been in the past and now was the present. Hinata sighed softly and was just about to call out to Hanabi when the boy who always played with Naruto came around the corner and almost bumped into them. 

"Konohamaru," she greeted with a warm smile. "How are you today?"

The teenager was about to open up his mouth to respond, when the words died in his throat as he noticed the scowling girl standing beside Hinata. His face darkened with color and instead of the vivacious reply he would have given, he mumbled something and shuffled away from them. 

Hinata stared after the disappearing boy in confusion. "I wonder what that was all about. Hanabi, he is on your team, right?"

But her sister was looking at something else with seeming interest and refused to answer. If Hinata had looked carefully, she would have noticed that the young girl's cheeks were just as flushed as the boy that had run away.

__

"Sugoi!" came the satisfied cry and an accompanying belch as Naruto placed the bowl back on the table with a loud thump. Ichiraku's ramen was always the best. Nothing else could beat the sweet, savory taste of the spicy noodles that he always loved. What was even better was that he had managed to convince Neji to enjoy the delicious meal as well. He had noticed that the older _shinobi had seemed wary of the food presented to him, but after much teasing and a dare for Neji to finish his, the older boy had given in. _

Now, after two bowls each, they were both grinning like idiots at one another. Naruto was a bit surprised that Neji looked so much more different when he smiled. Without the scary _byakugan _and the usual cold or passive stare on his face, the Hyuuga genius looked even more handsome when he was genuinely happy. Naruto found himself liking this side of the older _shinobi a whole lot better and was quite glad that things hadn't turned out to be so awkward between them._

He still wished Sasuke would have come after him or something, but then again, who needed that moron anyway. 

"We should do this more often, don't you think?" Neji asked quietly as they stepped out of the shop. 

Naruto, who had thankfully, found his pants due to Shikamaru and Chouji keeping it safely for him and was now dressed decently. He gave a curt nod and placed his hands behind his head as they began to walk towards the other side of town. Evening was fast approaching and couples had begun to cozy up to one another as they waited for the cloak of nightfall to come. 

Naruto grinned and nodded, hardly thinking much as the taste of ramen was still predominant in his mouth and mind at this time. "Sure!" he replied flippantly. He did not see the surprised but pleased look that Neji gave him at the answer or the light flush that had filled his cheeks now. 

As for Neji, he couldn't really believe things were turning out this easily. From Sasuke's blunder to their 'date', he felt as if he couldn't have asked for anything better. He would take his time, he kept telling himself. There really was no need to rush things…

"Do you want to see something cool?" Naruto asked suddenly, startling him from his reverie. 

"What?"

The blond gave a wink and another wide grin as he began a light jog towards…somewhere. Not one to question…at least anything Naruto had planned…Neji picked up his pace and began to run after the excited _chuunin. _

They made their way towards the outskirts of the village. Naruto spied Konohamaru and a few of his friends. He waved towards the teen, completely ignoring the surprised look he got in return. _Let anyone think what they like_, Naruto thought wildly, as he began to climb up the building that was bound to take Neji's breath away. No body ought to tell him who he could make friends with especially not that thick-headed, stubborn and annoying Sasuke!

"Did you say something?" Neji asked a bit breathlessly as they finally got to the top of the building. It was clearly the highest this side of the village and directly before them were the four looming mountainside statues of the Hokages. 

"Huh?"

"I asked if you said something?" Neji stood beside him, idly wondering just why they were up here. He didn't make it a habit of climbing rooftops, but there was something different about tonight. He was with Naruto and that was all that mattered. "I thought I heard you mumbling something."

Naruto shook his head and sat down heavily on the roof. "Nope! I didn't say anything." Or maybe he had mistakenly said Sasuke's name out loud. 

_/He talks like he has a crush on you…although he wasn't that obvious./_

A sudden wave of self-consciousness washed over the blond as he heard Neji sit down beside him. Naruto bit his lower lip and tried to maintain his cool and non-chalant air. The effects of the ramen was slowly beginning to wear off, thanks to their run to the rooftop and so his mind was now clear to think. But what could he think about?! Neji Hyuuga was sitting beside him and who knew what the older boy had in mind to do to him? What if Neji went crazy and decided to do those things that he had only heard about from those old geezers?!

Naruto had heard weird tales of mysterious people, who went crazy once the moon came out and went about ripping innocent boys and girls of their clothes and taking them against their will. The _kyubi_ could remember just how scared he had been at the tales. Was it possible that Neji could have the sudden urge to rip his clothes off and take him without his consent?! Wait a second…was it going to be a full moon _tonight?!_

"Are you okay? You look a bit pale," Neji said in slight concern as he noticed Naruto's terrified visage. "Do you want to go back to solid ground? Maybe the air isn't good enough for you up here. Here let me…"

"I'm fine!" Naruto yelled out in slight panic as he shifted away a little from the outstretched hand. He saw the pained look that filled the pale eyes and he suddenly felt like a heel for thinking so badly of the older boy. Neji, however, was quick to hide his disappointment as he withdrew his hand to wrap it tightly around his upturned knees. Hadn't he told himself he wasn't going to rush, Naruto? And here he was already scaring the younger boy away. 

_Nice job, Neji. At this rate, things will slip out of your hands quicker than you think._

"I'm…I'm sorry," Naruto mumbled softly as he too wrapped his arms around his legs and stared morosely at the stony face of the Forth. "I…I guess I am just jumpy…"

Neji laughed softly. "It's okay, Naruto. You don't have to be afraid of me." He lowered his voice and tried to catch the other boy's eyes. "I won't hurt you. You know that, don't you?"

Naruto didn't want to look. He didn't want to stare into those strangely hypnotic unique eyes that had secretly fascinated him all these years, but he was powerless to the stop himself from doing so in the end. 

And maybe it was his imagination but Neji seemed to be much closer than before. 

And his lips were quite…nice…

"I…know…" Naruto whispered just as thickly, having a feeling that he _was being hypnotized somehow, someway. But he didn't care right now. He liked this hypnotic feeling. It was heavy and made him feel quite good. And Kami, but Neji was hotter and getting better-looking by the second. _

In all honesty, Neji hadn't really moved from his position, instead he was the one quite surprised to see the blond swaying towards him. Naruto had a flushed look and those impossibly blue eyes of his seemed a bit glazed. He watched with a growing ache starting in the lower pits of his stomach as Naruto licked his lips and moved closer and closer to him. 

Oh, sweet Kami! He had never kissed anyone before! What if he botched things?! He wanted to stop Naruto but then again this was the best thing that could ever happen to him. 

_Just one more inch…just a little bit more…_

He closed his eyes as their warm breaths mingled. 

_Now…_

"Yo."

"AAAAAHHH!!!" came the scream from the blond as both boys sprang apart from the intrusion.

_Damn it!!_ Neji thought in irritation.

"Am I interrupting something?" 

Naruto, now wide awake and quite red-faced, sputtered in embarrassment at the casual question from the grinning and quite unapologetic _jounin before them. _

"KAKASHI-SENSEI NO BAKA!!"

"Nice to see you too, Naruto," the teacher replied jovially as he rose to his feet. He sunk his hands into the pockets of his uniform and eyed the two teens with interest. Naruto still looked red-faced and embarrassed, while Neji had a look that would have killed Kakashi if he had been a lesser man.

"Can we help you with something?" Neji asked coolly, still extremely angry at being interrupted from a perfectly good chance to steal his first kiss from Naruto. Damn it! He couldn't stand this _jounin_ at all.

"Actually, you can," the man replied, not seeming fazed by Neji's less than welcoming question. "Have any of you seen Sasuke today?"

Naruto's ears perked up at that and his eyes narrowed warily. "Why?"

Kakashi shrugged carelessly. "We were supposed to meet for something tonight."

"Something like what?"

"Something that concerns only Sasuke and I, Naruto," came the enigmatic reply. "Well? Have any of you seen him?"

"No, we haven't," Neji replied curtly. "If we do see him, we will let him know."

Kakashi seemed pleased enough with the reply as he gave a small nod and another knowing grin. "You do that. Oh, and please go back to what you were doing. Sorry for bursting in like that."

He sounded anything but apologetic.

He 'vanished' from sight, leaving two very frustrated teens in his wake. The magic had disappeared now and both boys sat as far apart from each other as possible. Naruto had an angry scowl on his face but it had nothing to do with the missed kiss. 

Kakashi-sensei and Sasuke.

_/Something that concerns only Sasuke and __I.__ Sasuke and _I.___ Sasuke and I./_

_Kuso!_ Every damn time, Kakashi-sensei was always doing something _special _with Sasuke. What the hell did they do together anyway?!

He sucked in a harsh breath, eyes widened in disbelief. It couldn't be! Kakashi wouldn't willingly _violate_ his student like that! But then again, the older man was a perverted coot and Naruto couldn't really put it past the _jounin._ And what about Sasuke for his part. The boy was always following Kakashi like…like…

"Grrrr…"

Neji blinked in surprise at the angry growl from the boy next to him. Naruto had a wild look in his eyes that had him wondering if the blond was upset over the near-kiss.

"Look, Naruto, I am sorry about that…"

The _kyubi _rose to his feet and smiled rather tightly at the bewildered teen below him. "I am sorry about this, Neji, but I have to leave now. Thank you for the treat at Ichiraku. I'll make it up to you next time."

And hardly waiting for Neji's reply, Naruto leapt down from the building and went in search of a certain teacher and his student. 

For the first time in a long while, Naruto felt a rage that was almost consuming course through his body. He didn't know what was bound to happen if he found Sasuke and Kakashi, but one thing was for sure, if that man dared lay a finger on his teammate, he would not be responsible for his actions.

**AN:** Did someone say bloodshed?! /lol/ Naruto looks like he's about to go medieval on someone's ass. 


	5. Sasuke Acts ToughGaara does the Tango

**Pairings: **Naru/Sasu, Neji/Naru,**Gaara/Sasu?**

**Warnings:** Shounen-ai (………..hehe)

**Disclaimers:** Main characters are properties of Kishimoto san. I make no money off them.

**Author's Notes:** Again, major thanks to everyone who reviews! Sankyuu so very much! You make writing this story so much fun and it's drawing to a close too! ;; Heh, you all thought I forgot about everybody's favorite bad boy? I think not! Here's Gaara in all his glory. Enjoy! ^_^

**Chapter Five:**

**Sasuke Acts Tough - Gaara Does the Tango:**

Mumbling all sorts of things to do to Kakashi and Sasuke once he caught up with them, Naruto stomped down the street; completely oblivious to the glances he was beginning to receive from most of the villagers. It wasn't as if they were afraid of him as they had been in the past after all Naruto was quite able to control his _chakra_ now. All thoughts of the _kyubi_ going loose had been eased off the elders' minds. Uzumaki Naruto was now an outstanding citizen to the village and many were grateful for his contributions over the years. 

As of this moment, however, the local hero was anything but cheerful. For years he had had to deal with Kakashi and Sasuke disappearing at various times for 'special' trainings or meetings. Damn it! So what if he had been trained by pervy sennin? It still didn't account for feeling left out from the couple. And he wasn't blind; Naruto had seen the way Kakashi had the tendency to look at Sasuke in a way that was anything but innocent.

_That pervert! _

He would bet that they weren't training at all. Or better yet that they _were_ training, but in a way that was bound to cause even pervy sennin to blush. 

~*~

_/Sasuke! Today we are going to begin our special training. /_

_/Our special training, sensei? /_

_/Yes. It would require you to remove all of your clothes, Sasuke. Skin to skin contact is very important in this type of fighting. /_

_/Yes, sensei. /_

_/Hmm…looks like you have been…eh…developing quite a kurenai there, Sasuke. /_

_Blush. /Thank you, sensei. /_

_/And now it's my turn! /_

_Even deeper blush. /Oooh, sensei. You are so…well equipped. What do you intend to do to me with that? /_

_Wicked smirk. /Why don't you lie down right there and we will find out, my dear precious student. /_

_A shy smile. /Ooh, sensei. Your weapon is so hard and long and aaaaaah…it feels so good. Faster! Faster! /_

~*~

Naruto's face by this time had gone so red that he had to slap his hands to his cheeks to stop his wanton thoughts from going any further. He was ashamed to find that his vivid imagination had only done more to make him feel hot. And cursing out loud, he shook his head rapidly and tried to get his mind back on focus.

Yes, he was going to find Kakashi and stop him from violating his teammate! And once Naruto found him, he would…he would…

He would _what?_ He wasn't even sure he would know what to do. He stopped abruptly and bit his lower lip. He would have to go about this cautiously. In as much as he wanted to catch them both in the act – whatever _that _might be – Naruto still didn't want to risk exposing himself so readily. He didn't want Sasuke to think that he was acting all jealous over him. It would only do more to make the dark-haired genius get even more bigheaded. 

_Kuso!_

What kind of plan would he have to cook up now? What dubious, conniving little trick could he think up?

"Ah, Naruto! There you are!"

The blond lifted his head with a ready smile on his lips for the only man he could ever look up to…besides the late third Hokage.

 "Ohayo, Iruka sen…sei….aaaaaaaaaaah!" He pointed towards the bored looking _jounin_ standing beside his beloved and first teacher. "WHAT ARE _YOU_ DOING HERE?!"

"Standing, Naruto," came the equally bored reply. "What does it look like?"

The blond _shinobi _shook his head and tried to get the words, that were threatening to get stuck in his throat, forcibly out. "You…you…"

"Is everything alright, Naruto?" Iruka asked in concern as he placed a hand against the flushed boy's forehead. "Hmmm…you might be coming down with a fever…"

Naruto slapped the other man's hand away, his blazing blue gaze fixed firmly on the gradually bemused Kakashi. "You were on the roof!" he accused angrily. "Now where's Sasuke?!"

The two _jounin_ eyed each other for a moment before Iruka replied softly. "We haven't seen Sasuke anywhere, Naruto. Have you tried searching his house?"

The _kyubi _wasn't buying it. "He came up to the roof where Neji and I were and asked for Sasuke! He said they were having a private meeting!"

Kakashi smirked. "Oh?"

Naruto growled and clenched his hands into fists. "Oh! You wanted him for something so where is he?!"

The mischievous teacher leaned closer to his heaving and quite furious student. "Hmm…if I didn't know any better, I would think you were jealous, Naruto."

A dark flush filled the blond's cheeks. "I…I…I'm not jealous! I was just…just…"

Iruka chuckled. "You were just what, Naruto?"

The _chuunin _glared at the two laughing men feeling himself getting even more embarrassed by the minute. "Stop laughing at me!"

Iruka sobered up quickly and smiled warmly. "Sorry to disappoint you. But Kakashi and I have been with Tsunade all evening. We were just on our way to Ichiraku. Do you want to join us?"

Naruto gaped at the teacher before turning his bewildered gaze to a shrugging Kakashi. What the hell was going on here? Iruka wouldn't lie to him and as much a liar as the _sharingan_-wielding teacher was, Naruto knew Kakashi wouldn't lie about something so trivial. So if it wasn't Kakashi on the roof…

_"Who the hell was it then?!"_

__

'Kakashi' darted into the dark alley and transformed quickly, revealing the slightly panting teenager who had a smug grin of satisfaction on his face. It had worked out just perfectly after all. He knew it was a lousy method of doing things, but his curiosity and downright jealousy had gnawed him to the point of stooping to such sneaky tactics. But he had gotten the answer he wanted…or had he?

"So it was you."

He froze, his hands already reaching for his _kunai_. He refused to turn around as a small smirk came to his lips. "Sorry to break up your loving moment back there, Neji-kun. How did you guess it was me?"

The Hyuuga genius grit his teeth and narrowed his eyes as he glared at the unyielding back of the younger boy. "I knew it had to be you. I can sense any enemy of mine approaching for miles away. However, that was a cheap and dirty trick, Uchiha and if Naruto finds out, how do you think he'll react?"

"He doesn't need to know, does he?"

"You fool. He'll find out," Neji retorted icily. "You seem to underestimate him, Uchiha and that is going to be your downfall someday."

Sasuke's jaw worked silently as his fingers tightened around the weapon. "What do you know about anything, Hyuuga?"

"What do I know? _What do I know?"_ the older boy spat out bitterly. "I know that I have feelings for Naruto but that they are never going to be returned because he has a fixation on you!"

There was the undeniable surge of chakra and Sasuke didn't need to turn around to know that Neji was about to attack him. 

Damn. He hadn't intended to start a fight with anyone tonight. It was just his luck that he had been caught and by a boy who looked like he was ready to eliminate him at any minute. This was so not good. 

"Die, Uchiha!"

He barely had the time to dodge out of the way of several _shuriken_, but he managed to leap into the air just in time. He felt a sear of pain in his left arm and realized to his chagrin that one of the weapons had grazed him. He growled softly and whipped out his own arsenal, dodging and darting out of the close-combat fighter's range. 

What the hell was this? He didn't want to fight and over Naruto for that matter. He had a feeling that if he really went all out on Neji and the blond found out about it, he would never be forgiven. 

Curses! Since when did he start giving a damn about what Naruto thought of him?

"Aaargh!" He was thrown roughly against a wall, his entire body throbbing with pain as he tried to get back his bearings. Losing his concentration had cost him precious time and before he could even think of moving, Neji's fingers were pointed squarely upon his chest effectively holding him prisoner. One false move and the older _shinobi_ was bound to blow a hole right through him with that infamous Hyuuga _Taijutsu_.

"I know that once you allow your _sharingan _to come forth, you will be capable of doing the very same thing to me, Uchiha," Neji began softly, but still in that deadly calm voice. "But as of right now, I have the upper hand and you are going to have to listen to me."

Sasuke remained silent.

Neji didn't seem fazed by the glare as he pinned his own narrowed pale depths at the younger _chuunin_. "Do not think I am willingly letting you have Naruto because I want to. I am giving him to you because he assumes it will make him happy. He is confused and not sure of how he feels and anyone who had common sense…unlike you…would have been decent enough to guide him through this period." He lowered his voice to a dangerous tone, which clearly promised instant death if Sasuke did not comply. "Do not underestimate or tease him, Uchiha. If you hurt him, I swear I will hunt you down and make sure you pay. Got it?"

Sasuke smirked and managed a small nod. "Got it, Hyuuga…unless there is something else you wish to tell me?"

The fingers pressed tighter against his chest and he hissed in a sharp breath. "Don't screw around with me, Uchiha," Neji warned again. "I mean it."

"So do I."

The older boy raised a brow of confusion. "What…?"

It was too fast for Neji to follow and he cursed inwardly as he felt the fingers against his own chest. He didn't need to know that the famous _sharingan_ were in Sasuke's eyes now as the dark-haired boy's long hair was covering them from view. Neither boy moved much, but they knew that one false move could have them both blown to smithereens. 

"If I ever see you near Naruto again," Sasuke muttered thickly. "I will make sure you don't live to see the next day. You will not touch him unless I say so, got it?"  
  


"You don't own him, Uchiha."

"Not yet, I don't. But I will and you know it."

Neji growled. "What makes you think you deserve him? What makes you so special?!"

Sasuke remained silent for a moment before replying softly. "Maybe I don't deserve him, maybe I do, who knows? But what I do know is that…"

He lifted his head and Neji Hyuuga, for one heart-stopping moment, felt his breath catch in his throat at the small but beautiful smile on the younger boy's face. 

_What the hell…?_

"Naruto is a part of me, Hyuuga. It's something I can't explain and I won't even begin to attempt to explain it to you." He lowered his head again and removed his fingers gently. "So, forgive me if I sound possessive. But without Naruto in my life…I don't think I could bear it."

The older _chuunin_ was left speechless as his own fingers dropped to his side slowly. Such pure honesty from the other boy was a bit embarrassing, but it was good to hear…wasn't it? 

He turned his gaze away with a sinking feeling in the pits of his stomach. Naruto's angry glare as he had left earlier had all but solidified Neji's initial thoughts. Naruto and Sasuke _liked_ each other. Despite all their hateful words and denials, the attraction was there and undeniable. 

He felt his eyes burn. 

_Kami, I am such a fool._

"Neji…"

"What is it?" he asked a bit too roughly. 

Sasuke opened up his mouth to say something but snapped it shut. "Nothing."

The older _shinobi_ gave a curt nod and lifted his gaze to stare at the evening sky. Tiny stars had begun to twinkle above him as he struggled to get his emotions in check.

"Don't be a fool, Sasuke," he finally said a bit shakily. "You had better show him how you feel before…before you lose him. But my warning still remains." He turned back to stare at the other boy. "If you ever hurt him, Uchiha… I will kill you."

And hardly waiting for a reply, he leapt out of sight and into the night. Once certain that the boy was gone, Sasuke finally let out a groan of pain and slumped to the ground in a dead faint. 

__

Meanwhile, Naruto, still pondering on who could have sunken so low as to disguise himself as Kakashi to interrupt he and Neji, came to a halt as a _shinobi_ appeared before him.

It was Kotestu. One of Tsunade's many messengers. Naruto made a face. The _jounin_ still had that rather annoying bandage over his mouth area. Was that supposed to be cool or something?

"Tsunade requests your presence, Naruto," he announced quickly. "She says we have guests and would like for you to show them around."

_Guests? _

"Oi, oi, what kind of guests are they…?"

His answer was left unanswered, as the _jounin_ had already made himself scarce. Cursing softly, Naruto began a steady jog towards the Hokage's Tower. He wondered if Sasuke or Sakura had been called to entertain these so called guests? And speaking of Sakura, he had hardly heard from their pink-haired teammate in a while. He hoped that everything was alright with her. 

Or maybe Sasuke had already told her the bad news about now liking her in _that _way. Naruto shook his head slowly; he wouldn't put such blatant tactics from the other boy as an impossibility. Sasuke really had no tact at all. 

He finally got to the designated floor, trying hard to control his breathing. Sure enough, the blonde and very voluptuous Hokage, Tsunade – one of the legendary sennin - sat behind her desk with a smug look on her beautiful features.

"Hello, Naruto. Long time no see."

The teen couldn't help blushing a little at the smile. Whenever she wasn't being obnoxious, the woman could be quite engaging and almost acted like a big sister towards him. 

"Hi, Tsunade," he greeted with a respectful bow. "You wanted to see me for something?" He wondered why Sasuke and Sakura weren't here.

The blonde nodded. "Don't worry about your team mates, Naruto," she said around a chuckle as she watched him gasp in shock. "Sakura will not be able to make it, but Sasuke was brought in here injured…"

"Injured?!" Naruto's eyes widened in growing panic. "How…when…why?!"

"Now, now, now, calm down. It's not a life-threatening wound. In fact, he is healing quite nicely." She dismissed the conversation with a wave of a hand. "I need you to help out our guests anyway. Do you think you can do that?"

"Who are these guests?" he asked a bit petulantly, even though his mind was still worried over a certain boy's welfare.

The sound of shoji screens opening up somewhere on his left, had Naruto blinking in disbelief at the two smirking people in the room. He gasped and turned back to face an unrepentant Tsunade.

"But…but…what are _they_ doing here?!"

The Hokage grinned and tapped his nose gently. "They are going to be patrolling the village with us for a while. It's just common courtesy to exchange good will with our neighboring countries…"

"Yes, but with…_them?!"_

Tsunade's sunny grin turned into a tight smile. "You are going to show them around town and take care of them, Naruto. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yeah, yeah…" the _kyuubi_ grumbled. "So…eh…where's the other one?"

Tsunade seemed bored as she closed her eyes and replied wearily. "Oh, him? He went in search of Sasuke and I told him where he could be found. He's in the…"

The sound of someone darting out of the room, caused her to open an eye in surprise. She eyed her bewildered companions before shrugging lightly.

"Goodness, I wonder what that was about."

__

The chill of being watched seeped through his consciousness slowly. It was a familiar gaze. A dark, penetrating, sometimes hostile look that could send the weakest of men to their early graves. It was a look that could only belong to…

_Gaara!_

Sasuke opened up his eyes quickly and tried to sit up, but was unceremoniously pushed back to the comfort of the soft sheets below him. He bit back a wince as his throbbing arm protested his sudden movement. Dark, nearly frantic eyes darted around the room before settling upon the impassive features of the boy they had come to know only so well. 

Slightly taller, but not by much, he was still the same as they remembered him five years ago. His dark red hair was still cropped short. The kanji tattoo on his forehead still prominent and those once hateful pale green eyes now staring blankly at him. Although, it wasn't red but now black, he was still dressed in his usual garment that somehow still held that damning gourd of sand on his back. 

Gaara stood beside his bed as silent as a ghost, watching him intently. Sasuke wondered why that gaze was more than disconcerting. 

_What was Gaara doing here?!_

"You were hurt."

Sasuke eyed his bandaged arm and gave a light snort at the dry comment. "Yeah, so?"

"Would you like me to take a look at it?"

The _chuunin_ eyed the badger with a wary look. "What could you possibly do that Tsunade hasn't done already?"

Gaara smirked. "Give me your arm."

Sasuke smirked right back. "So you could break it off?"

"Much as I would like to, I am under strict rules to control myself around here." He held out his hand. "Let me see it."

The Leaf _shinobi_ narrowed his eyes before slowly lifting his arm up. "Don't you dare try anything funny…aaah!"

It was a gasp of surprise and shock as he felt the other boy's lips upon the bandaged flesh. Was Gaara actually _kissing_ his arm?! Was that some form of healing he didn't know about?  Sasuke's face went a bright shade of red, but it soon got even darker as the door to the room flew open to reveal the panting and stunned figure of the _shinobi _behind it.

"Naru…to…" he croaked out weakly as he watched the blue eyes widen by the second with emotions that ranged from surprise and shock to dismay and then blankness. 

_Please, Naruto! It's not what you think!_

_/If you ever hurt him, Uchiha…I will kill you…/_

_Damn it!_

Gaara lifted his head slowly to smile softly at the boy who had taught him so much in one memorable fight. 

"Naruto," he began but was stumped into silence at the cold words that spilled from the blond's lips. 

"I just came by to see how you were doing, Sasuke," Naruto said curtly. "I am glad to see you are in safe hands."

And without waiting for any of their responses, he closed the door none too quietly behind him before taking a deep breath and running away as fast as his legs could take him.

It seemed like he had finally gotten the answer he had been looking for.

**AN:** Damn…and I thought I had gotten rid of the angst in this story. Why? Oh, why does angst follow me wherever I go?! *cries *


	6. Sasuke Confesses Naruto finally gets it

**Pairings:** Sasu/Naru, Gaara/Naru?

**Warnings:** Shounen-ai (boys having makeover sessions with other boys)

**Disclaimers:** Main characters are properties of Kishimoto-san. I make no money off them.

**Author's Notes:** Thank you, Sol for reminding me of just how sucky I am at humor fiction. *lol * I knew I couldn't resist adding the angst in there somehow. Hehe. So, this is the final chapter and time for me to get back to work on 'Darkness Falls'. Thanks to everyone who sent a review or comment or email and to the cool LJ Naruto communities I am in. ^_^ You guys made this story happen. So hope this ends well! Enjoy! ^_^

****

**Chapter Six:**

**Sasuke Confesses; Naruto Finally Gets It:**

He ran as fast as his legs could take him and when that wasn't fast enough, he resorted to leaping from one place to the other. It was as if he wished to create even more of a distance between he and what he had just witnessed in that room. 

Of all the people he would have thought of, the _kyuubi_ had definitely not visualized Sasuke harboring feelings for a boy that they had once considered their enemy. 

_Baka! Baka! Sasuke no baka!_

He finally stopped as he got to the edge of a rather dangerous drop off. He stared down into the black pits of the ravine, remembering with a pang that it was the very same spot where he had finally managed to summon Gamabunta, the frog, through the help of Jiraya. For a moment, he swayed like a weightless feather, the tempting invite of the deep valley beckoning him into its blackness. 

Perhaps if he fell in there, the pain that he felt in his heart at this very moment would vanish completely. It seemed like the perfect plan. In fact…it looked more than inviting at this point. 

He guessed he was overreacting a little bit, by trying to commit suicide, but he was a jumbled mass of confusion and there was no telling where his pain started and his anger ended. 

Although, there really was no need for him to feel angry. It wasn't as if Sasuke had said that he liked him in _that_ way in the first place. And besides, the other _shinobi _had a right to do whatever he pleased, right?

But with Gaara…of all people?!

"Idiot!"

He sat down on the edge of the cliff and dangled his legs back and forth for a while. Closing his eyes, he allowed the cool evening breeze to caress his heated skin as he struggled to gather his frazzled thoughts together. 

Since when had he found himself attracted to Sasuke? On the rooftop on that fateful day? No, it had be far longer than that. Maybe he hadn't even realized that the feelings he had been having for his teammate went far deeper than just mere rivalry. Maybe it was something else. This _something_ that was threatening to rip a hole right through his chest. A simple, innocuous plan to find out who Sasuke liked had turned out to be a heart-wrenching journey of discovery. 

**_He_** liked Sasuke in _that_ way. 

**_He _**_wanted_ to be with Sasuke…in whatever way they could possibly be together.

And most importantly…

**_He_** wanted Sasuke to feel the same way for himas well.

And as the damning image of the red-haired _shinobi_ kissing Sasuke's arm came to mind again, Naruto gave a low moan of dismay and fell back to the cold ground. He should probably just forget the whole thing and try to get his mind back on track. It would be hard to do, but it was for the best. 

A shadow fell over him and he blinked in surprise at the toothy grin of his best friend above him.

"Kono…hamaru…" he muttered in slight surprise. "What are you doing here?"

"I saw you running and decided to follow you," came the quick reply as the teen sat down beside his idol. "You looked distraught, _nii-chan_. Is there anything I can do for you?"

On any other day, the question would have seemed ridiculous to the blond, but somehow he needed to talk to someone. Someone who could perhaps make him understand why he was feeling this confused and…frustrated. 

He wondered if choosing the younger boy as his counselor was such a good idea. Konohamaru looked like he had just won the jackpot. The boy was grinning from ear to ear and his face looked a bit…flushed.

"What happened to you?" Naruto asked in curiosity as he sat up to stare at the _genin_. "You look pretty…pleased."

Konohamaru had the grace to blush as he suddenly found his palms extremely fascinating. "Uum…eh…this isn't about me, is it? But since you asked so nicely…"

Naruto rolled his eyes.

"…it's because…it's because…" Konohamaru glanced around quickly as if to make sure no one was around before leaning closer to the older boy to whisper into his ear. "Hanabi-chan spoke to me today! Actually spoke to _me!"_

Naruto winced and covered his ears. "_Kuso!_ I thought you said you were whispering! Do you want to make me deaf ?!"

"Heh, I'm sorry, _nii-chan_," he apologized quickly although he sounded anything but sorry. "It's just that…I mean that…she's never really said anything besides giving me orders from our sensei." He grinned and blushed even harder. "She said 'hello' to me and even allowed me to walk her to Izumi-san's Sweet Shop."

A searing heat settled in the pit of Naruto's stomach and he knew it could only mean one thing. 

He was jealous. 

Perhaps he had only derived pleasure from knowing that Konohamaru was no good at relationships like himself in the past, but now…now things were changing. The younger _shinobi _had found his perfect mate (hopefully) while he was still here nursing an aching heart. 

_"Nii-chan?"_

"Huh?"

"I asked you what the matter was," Konohamaru asked with obvious concern now. He peered closely at the older boy's face. "You don't look so good."

Suddenly feeling resentful, Naruto huffed and closed his eyes in dismissal. "It's okay. I'll be fine. So just go and have fun with your new _girlfriend._ You shouldn't be hanging around me anymore, right?"

Konohamaru looked hurt. "But why would I want to do that, _nii-chan?_ And she's not really my girlfriend." He mumbled this to himself. With a sigh, he raised his knees and rested his chin upon it. "I saw Neji-san earlier. He looked…sad, _nii-chan_." He shrugged lightly. "I don't know why though."

Naruto had no clue either, but compared to the Neji that had been smiling and laughing with him at the noodle shop, this was news to him. He wondered what had happened. But he stubbornly remained silent. That, however, did not deter the _genin_. 

"Say…did you hear that the Sand members were here in the village?"

And as he began a long speech on how exciting it was to have the visitors in town, Naruto squeezed his eyes even tighter as he struggled to suppress the scream that was slowing building up within him.

--

It was an astonished and thick silence that fell in the room as both boys stared at the door as if hoping the _shinobi_ that had just disappeared would reappear. 

Sasuke was the first to recover as he released his arm from Gaara's grasp to glare coldly at him. 

"This is all your damn fault," he growled as he began to throw off the sheets to make his way out of the room. His innards still churned with disbelief and worry. Naruto had seen something that shouldn't have happened at all. What had he been thinking by offering his arm to Gaara? And just what…

"…kind of a stupid healing method is that?" he asked angrily as he searched around the room for his shirt. 

Gaara, who seemed more worried about Naruto than the petulant teen beside him, began to make his way out of the room. "I wasn't kissing you on purpose, you fool," he retorted icily. He stopped as he got to the door. "And besides, Tsunade had suggested I try the method on you to see if it would ease the pain a little. Guess it didn't work." He smiled coldly. "And another thing. I suggest you stay back in there. I'll find Naruto and talk to him."

And before Sasuke could gather his bearings long enough to understand what the _shinobi _was up to, Gaara had already left the room, leaving a lingering waft of sand in his wake. 

--

"And then Shinji says 'You can't do that. It's going to get us in trouble!' And then I say…"

"Konohamaru…"

"…'what's the use of us not doing it? I mean we are here already, so we might as well just go ahead and take it!' And then he says…"

"Konohamaru."

"…No, no, let's go home and then I say…"

"Just shut up already!"

A low gasp of shock at the vehement words had the genin flushing with indignation. "What's wrong with you today, _nii-chan_? You are no fun."

The _kyuubi _was getting into more of a foul mood by the second. "I don't have to be fun every single day now, do I?"

"Well, no…but…"

He was saved from saying anything else that could potentially have his idol flaring up in anger again as the sudden appearance of another _shinobi_ had them both spinning around quickly. 

Both teens' hands reached for their _kunai_ but slowly withdrew as they noticed who it was. 

"Ooh," came the soft gasp of awe from Konohamaru. "Gaara-san from the Sand! I saw you coming into the village today."

"So you did," Gaara replied absently. His gaze was fixed on the glaring blond below him as he slowly stepped closer towards them. "Naruto. I don't believe we got a chance to greet each other properly the last time."

Konohamaru noticed his 'big brother' flinch and suddenly feeling protective, his fingers tightened around the knife as he watched them carefully. If Gaara tried anything funny, he was going to attack without hesitation. 

"Go. Konohamaru."

The _genin_ blinked in surprise. "_Nii…nii-chan_? Are  you sure?"

The blond gave a curt nod, not tearing his own gaze from the pale green ones before him. "Yes, I am sure. I just need to talk to this badger for a while."

Still not completely convinced, Konohamaru gave a small nod of agreement before leaping out of sight. A tense silence fell between the two _shinobi _as they eyed each other warily. Naruto wasn't exactly sure if he wanted to knock that impassive look off the redhead's face or if to just walk away. 

"Is everything alright, Naruto?" Gaara asked quietly. Although, his voice was still a bit rough around the edges, the blond could see that the _chuunin_ was doing his best to be as polite as possible. "Why do you keep staring at me like that?"

And not one to mince words, Naruto went straight to the point. "What were you doing to Sasuke?"

Gaara shrugged lightly. "I was just performing a method that Tsunade had suggested to me. She said I was the only one who could use the 'breathing' method on Sasuke. I didn't understand what she meant by that, but I am in no position to argue with your Hokage."

The blond blinked in confusion. "Breathing…method? What is that?"

The _shinobi _gave a soft sigh and fell to his knees beside the _kyuubi_. "It's quite simple really. All I have to do is blow softly against a part of your body that's hurt. My chakra transmits through my breath and helps in soothing the ache." He eyed Naruto warily. "Would you like me to show you?"

_And why in the hell am I blushing?_ Naruto thought wildly as he tore his gaze away from the earnest green ones before him. "Uum…eh…well…my stomach was kind of hurting…"

"Then your stomach it is," Gaara interrupted quickly as he pushed the surprised teen back to the ground none-too-gently. 

"Wha…sto…stop! What are you doing?!" Naruto cried out in growing shock and helpless embarrassment as he felt his shirt being pushed up to reveal his heaving torso to the solemn gaze. He tried to cover his exposed flesh with his hands, his face burning now. "There really is no need to do this. I think I understand just how it works now."

Oh, sweet Kami, if anyone was to come here and notice, then he was really going to be in trouble!

"Ooh…Gaara…" The warm breath of the _shinobi _against his heated skin had Naruto's lashes fluttering closed with dull pleasure. All thoughts of being caught by anyone flew out of the window as the soothing chakra had him flushing all over in growing excitement. He moaned again and almost whined in protest as Gaara lifted his head to stare at him with a small smirk.

"Do you like that, Naruto?" 

The _kyuubi_ could only nod in response, too far gone to notice much around him. "That…that feels…so…good…"

"Then I have permission to continue?"

"Yes…"

"No, you do not."

Naruto's lashes flew open in shock as the firm and quite annoyed voice of a familiar teammate had him sitting upright and struggling to pull his shirt back down. 

"Sas…Sasuke! We…I mean…I…"

But the genius was hardly giving him a glance as his blood-red gaze was pinned firmly on the still smug-looking teen beside him. 

"Glad you could join us, Sasuke," Gaara drawled lazily as he got to his feet. "I was just showing Naruto a few tricks of mine. He seemed to…enjoy it."

The blond, still flustered, spoke up quickly. "I didn't!"

Sasuke, who had not found his shirt after all and hadn't bothered to look for one, stood dressed in only a dark pair of pants with his chest bared to everyone's gaze and his arm still encased in bandages. His wild dark hair fluttered in the evening breeze, his eyes still burning with anger, irritation but most importantly jealousy. 

"If you dare touch him again," he began in a dangerously low voice that sent chills of (shameless) delight down Naruto's spine. "I swear I'll kill you."

Gaara smirked and cocked his head to the side. Somehow the entire situation was much too amusing. "And how do you plan to do that, Sasuke? If I remember correctly, you couldn't defeat me before. What has changed now?"

Naruto hissed in a sharp breath at the taunt, noticing the flinch from Sasuke as he too remembered his quite embarrassing defeat in the hands of the badger five years ago. But that was then, this is now. He was much stronger, his _sharingan _was now complete and he had absolutely no hesitation in kicking Gaara's ass this time around. 

His lips curled in a cold smile. "Things have changed, Gaara. Perhaps we should find out, hmm?"

"With one arm?"

"I can beat you with one arm."

"Is that right?"

"Yeah, that's right…"

Naruto watched the two boys bicker back and forth in disbelief and dismay. They were obviously acting like two fighting lovers. It was too damn painful to watch. He ought to just leave and let them get at it. And closing his eyes, he screamed out in frustration. 

"Stop it! Both of you!" 

The two _chuunin_ stopped long enough to notice the flushed boy beside them. Sasuke moved towards him with a look of concern on his handsome features. "Naruto? Are you…?"

"Don't touch me!" came the desperate cry as the blond stepped away in agitation….and straight down into the pitch-darkness of the ravine. 

A scream of pure terror escaped the _shinobi's_ lips as he struggled to find enough chakra to steady himself. But his mind was so filled with confused thoughts of what he had just witnessed between Sasuke and Gaara that he was too distraught to do much.

_I'm going to die here_, he thought in resignation as he closed his eyes and allowed the almost heady weightlessness wash over him. _Thanks to baka Sasuke and Gaara I am going to…huh?_

He opened up his eyes quickly as he felt the arm around his waist. They widened in amazement as he noticed the grimacing face before him.

"Sasuke?"

"You fool." The insult had no ounce of venom in it. "Trust you to fall off the cliff at a time like this." He gave another grunt as he forced his chakra to steady their rapid descent. Only problem was…

"Damn it! I forgot this ravine had no smooth surface!

"What?! You didn't know?!" Naruto yelled back in surprise. "Then what…?!"

"Could you stop talking for a minute or so?!" Sasuke yelled back in frustration. "We are about to die here!"

"It's all your fault! If you hadn't been arguing with Gaara, none of this would have happened!"

"What are you talking about?!"

"You were trying to touch me!"

"So?!"

"So, why?! I thought you liked Gaara?!"

"Why would I like him?!"

"You…don't?!"

Man, did this ravine never end? It seemed as if they had been falling for hours.

However, "Of course I don't! Why would I like someone like him?!"

The blond thought this through for a second before mumbling softly. "Oh."

"Is that all you can say? Oh?!"

"What then do you want me to say?! I thought you liked him better than…" His words faltered.

"Better than what, Naruto?" Sasuke insisted almost anxiously.

And just like that, their never ending fall came to a sudden halt as they felt something strong, grainy and itchy wrap around their bodies tightly. Gasping in surprise, they were slowly pulled back up and into the welcome fresh air and clear night sky. The hand formed out of sand released them slowly to the ground causing them to fall in a tangled heap of limbs. Sasuke stifled a low cry of pain as he felt Naruto's leg crush his already injured arm again. 

"That was very rash of you, Sasuke," Gaara observed calmly as he folded his arms across his chest, still staring at the two _shinobi_ before him. "You didn't even think twice about jumping after him, did you?"

Naruto turned his head in surprise to catch the faint blush that now dusted Sasuke's cheeks. He felt something hard lurch in his chest at the selfless sacrifice. With an injured arm and no hope of survival, Sasuke had willingly tried to rescue him.

"That was quite foolish of you," Gaara continued as he began to walk away. He stopped and smiled a bit wistfully. "But also quite brave, Uchiha. I will see you both later. See you around."

And with a light wave, the Sand _shinobi _vanished from sight. He would let the two boys have the time to themselves…for now…

--

Naruto tied the last knot on the bandage and sat back with a rather pleased look on his features. 

"Is that good enough?"  
  


Sasuke tested its strength by moving his arm up and down for a moment before giving a light nod. "Yeah, it should do for now. Thanks for sitting on it, by the way."

"Idiot."

"Moron."

They smiled at each other and then promptly turned their gazes towards anything else but themselves. 

They remained silent for a long while, as Naruto began to pluck the grass beside him, growing even more nervous by the second. Every now and then he would try to steal a glance at Sasuke, but would have to tear it away again as he noticed the other _shinobi_ staring at him as well. 

And just when Sasuke thought he would go insane with the silence, he asked roughly.

"So what were you going to say in the ravine?"

The blond blinked. His palm was getting sweaty. His breathing shallow. "What…what do you mean?"

"You said that you thought I liked Gaara better than something. What was it?"

"Oh…oh…eh…that."

The genius raised a brow. "Uh huh…and?"

"And what?"

"Kami, Naruto!" Sasuke finally cried out in exasperation. "Don't you get it by now?"

The _kyuubi_ tried not to look too panicked at the wild and desperate look that was now in his teammate's eyes, but there was no doubting the palpable heat that had risen between them again as he noticed Sasuke move closer to him.

"Get…get what?" he asked breathlessly as his gaze flew to the full, tempting and inviting lips before him. His heart now pounding so hard that he would have sworn that anyone in the village could have heard it. 

Sasuke leaned even closer, the usual scowl on his visage now non-existent as he gave a small and tentative smile. He lifted a hand to caress the blushing cheeks before him. Light almost featherlike in his touches, it had Naruto closing his eyes and moaning softly in pleasure. His entire body seemed to hum with need as he swayed closer to Sasuke, his own hands, trembling with self-discovery. He closed his eyes and parted his lips, waiting, begging for Sasuke's approval. 

"It's been you all along, Naruto," came the husky and breathless whisper against his lips as Sasuke slowly traced the outline of the _kyuubi's_ lips with a hot tongue. "Didn't you know? It…was…you…all along…"

Naruto's giddy happiness at the news was lost in the feel of Sasuke's lips against his. His hands fell to hold on to the genius's shoulder more to steady himself as he felt Sasuke's tongue brush against his sensuously. Whimpering and mewling in delight at the new and strange sensation of being kissed (and by a boy no less) had Naruto doing his utmost best to respond as best he could. He felt Sasuke's hands cup his face as their kiss deepened. Their bodies strained towards each other, pressing tightly, knowing that something different was about to happen to them this time. 

Oh, this was too good to be true. Never had he thought that kissing Sasuke would feel this good. 

He almost cried out as the dark-haired _shinobi_ released him reluctantly to whisper thickly against his lips.   
  


"Let's go to my house, Naruto."

The blond opened up lust-filled eyes. "Huh?"

With pure hunger in his eyes, Sasuke tried to get Naruto to his feet. He wasn't sure he would last another minute out here. "Let's go to my house and…finish this."

"But…why…? I like it here…"

Sasuke gaped at the boy who was now trying to curl up in a fetal position on the ground. He slapped a hand against his forehead and groaned in disbelief.

"We can finish doing _it_ at my house, Naruto."

Pouting and getting irritated that Sasuke had decided to stop kissing him for some dumb reason had the blond petulant. "But I don't want to go to your house, Sasuke. Why can't we just finish it here."

"Because we are outside, baka!"

"So? It didn't stop you before."

"We can't…can't…do _it_ outside here." His face was burning now in embarrassment. Why in Kami's name was Naruto so dense sometimes? And with a low groan of frustration he began to stomp away. 

"Forget it, Naruto. I am going home."

"Eh?!" The _kyuubi_ looked panicked as he got to his feet and began to run after the striding boy. "You can't leave me like this! Why can't we do it out here?!" 

Sasuke refused to answer although there was a smug look of mischief on his features. All he had to do was keep walking towards his home and Naruto was bound to follow. 

As for the confused and quite naïve blond, all he could do was chase after his arrogant teammate and hope that their new game of kissing promised to be so much better once they got to Sasuke's place. 

Heh, all in all he could get used to this new relationship with Sasuke, he thought with a pleased grin as he finally caught up to seize the other boy's good arm within his. 

Things were bound to get even better between them now. 

After all, he had finally gotten the answer he had been waiting for. 

**~The End~**

**Konohamaru:** Until next time when she eats more candy and gets on a sugar high *cackles and runs off as authoress chases him with threats of pairing him up with Orochimaru *


	7. Destinies Final Chapter Notice

Hi all ye faithful readers,

For those of you who have been asking for the lemon bit of this, I had actually written it as the final chapter. But due to it's racy * tongue very much in cheek* content, it was posted only to my website, mailing list and LJ community. So some of you might have read it already ^^. For the rest of you, who keep bombarding me with emails and pleas, THANK YOU for your wonderful support * bows* I really appreciate it. 

Here's the link to it:

**Remember!** This is NC-17 stuff. If you choose to read and you complain to me about it, I am not going to bother listening or reading the flames.

Thanks and enjoy!

http://www.geocities.com/kiya_fanfiction/destiny.htm


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